The Golden City: Blackwood Beginnings - My Hero Academia OC
by RichMarker
Summary: Tucker Evans is a 14-year-old boy who's trying to become the best hero he can. To do this, he'll attend Blackwood Academy, his dream school in San Francisco, to make sure his dreams will come true! On his journey, he'll meet many unique faces that will change his life for the better... or for worse... My Hero Academia/Boku No Hero Academia belongs to the creator, Kohei Horikoshi.
1. Blackwood Academy

All kids have some sort of dream, right? Whether it's to become an astronaut, a firefighter, or a police officer, they're all dreams. Not all dreams come to fruition. Some dreams die while growing up and that's just a part of life. In this society that we live in, it's getting harder and harder to achieve your dreams. Only the strongest reach the top, while the weak stay at the bottom and suffer. That's what we've been taught ever since we were little. But, sometimes, on very rare occasions, people decide to break these norms. Even though they're weak, they're also strong in so many ways. They reach their dreams, without giving into society's norms. And someone like that inspired me. Inspired me to become a person just like that, or even better. My name is Tucker Evans, and I'm gonna tell you a little story...

『No. 1 - Blackwood Academy』

The society that we live in all started many years ago in Qingqing City, China. There were reports of a baby that gave off light, but this was only the beginning. Ever since that day, superpowers have popped up in various places, seemingly out of nowhere. Time passed and no real cause was ever found. In an instant, the weird and mysterious became completely normal, and dreams became real. Now, after many many years, about 80% of the world's population has some sort of unique power called a Quirk. And so, the profession that everyone once hoped could be a reality appeared right in front of their eyes. That profession is... being a Hero. The thing that could only be dreamed about from reading comic books or seeing movies became real, and countless people rose to the occasion.

One of those heroes was named Ironheart, or Colvin Blackwood. Ironheart was one of the most popular heroes in the United States of America. At his peak, he founded a school to train upcoming heroes, Blackwood Academy placed in San Francisco. However, not too long after creating the academy, he passed away during a fight with a villain and was remembered as a great hero. It's been decades since his death, but his influence reached all over the country. And one of the people that it reached... was me.

My parents and I lived in New York City when I was growing up. When I was only five-years-old, I had already decided that I wanted to attend Blackwood Academy when the time came. It was around that time when I found out about Ironheart, too. For a school that was founded by such an amazing hero, surprisingly, it was on the decline. Not as many students were choosing to attend Blackwood and the graduation rate was decreasing. But, it wasn't decreasing because the education was bad, no, it was decreasing because people would drop out before graduating and choose to attend other, possibly better, schools. And to make things even worse, the school didn't have an entrance exam like many other big hero schools. It only had a written exam to get into the Hero Division and that was it. My parents knew about these things and always tried to talk me out of it. They would mention how there are better schools out there for a Quirk as impressive as mine. But, I was a stubborn kid and Ironheart had influenced me past the point of return.

Oh, right! My Quirk, duh. It's called Material Replication. The basic summary is that if I touch a material, like concrete, wood, brick, etc., I'm able to transform my skin into that material for about 30 seconds. There are some limitations and cool things that I can do with it, but let's save the nitty-gritty details for after the introduction. Okay, let's get back into the story.

Years passed by and I still never changed my mind. My parents still attempted to sway me to choose a different school, but eventually, they stopped trying. And once I finished 8th Grade I completed the written exam and turned it into the Academy. Then, a few months later, I received my acceptance letter to Blackwood Academy and I was beyond excited. Obviously, my parents were very unsure about sending me across the country to go to High School, but they wanted to support my choices even if they weren't always thought through. Then, the day that I had to leave home to go to Blackwood Academy came...

I stood near the airport gate with my parents, waiting to be called to board.

"Make sure to call every day, okay?" Lillie, my mother, demanded, trying to hold back tears. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone.

"I'll never go anywhere without it," I responded. She smiled and a few tears streamed down her face. I took a few steps towards her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, mom... I'll be fine..!" I reassured. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I know... I know..." she stammered. I slowly took my hand off of her shoulder and then my dad, Tony, walked up and hugged me tightly.

"We're gonna miss you, Tucker..." he muttered, "Just know that you can come home at any time, okay..?" I nodded and continued to hug him.

"Yeah, I know," I whispered.

"Flight 149 to San Francisco now boarding," announced the flight attendant over the intercom. My dad pulled me away from the hug, smiling.

"You'll do great," he stated. I smiled back and grabbed my luggage.

"Well, I should get going now," I said. My dad nodded while my mom was still wiping tears off of her face. Then, I turned around and walked towards the gate. This moment was my first step that would change my life, for better or for worse.

After a six-hour plane ride, I landed in The Golden City, San Francisco. After all of those years of dreaming of coming to Blackwood Academy, it was finally my time. The plane landed around noon, so I had plenty of time to get off the plane and find the academy. Like an idiot, I didn't prepare, so I had no idea how to get to the academy from the airport. So, I pulled out my phone and opened up my Maps app. Inserting my current location, I searched around for Blackwood Academy and found that it was a four-hour walk.

"Sheesh... I guess I'll get a cab," I whispered to myself. Reluctantly, I hailed a taxi outside of the airport and told the driver where I was headed. Then, he started driving towards the academy. "Luckily, this isn't too different from New York..." I whispered again. 30 minutes of traffic and below average driving passed and I got dropped off at one of the entrance gates to Blackwood Academy's campus.

"I can't believe I'm finally here!" I shouted, "After all of these years of dreaming... I'm ready to make my dream come true!" Obviously, when I shouted this, people were staring at me, which I noticed. But, I was too in the moment to even let it phase me.

Oh, wait, I don't think I ever explained where I was staying, did I? Well, the academy had two dorm buildings that were both three stories tall. The boy's building and the girl's building. I was stationed on the third floor, but it can't be dorms without roommates, right? With around 40 rooms on each floor, the academy had to shove two or more students into one room to save space. Luckily, I had only been stationed one roommate, so I didn't need to stress about the 'or more' part. At the time, the faculty never told anyone who they were rooming with, all they said was that we had the roommates and that was that. So, I had no idea what kind of person they would be, and that kind of excited me.

'I wonder who my roommate will be?' I thought, 'Maybe they'll be uplifting and inspirational! Or maybe they'll be a good leader who will help me become a better person! I'm getting excited just thinking about it!' I made a mistake of hyping myself up for my roommate. I mean, yeah I'd be living with this person for the next year or maybe even four years, but still. I didn't realize that I had too much hope for this school back then...

Once I got through the entrance gate, I noticed a map that was posted on an event board outside. I scanned it over and deduced on how to reach the boy's dorms, so I quickly jogged over while still holding all of my luggage. While jogging, there were many people walking around the campus and hanging out. A huge excited smile grew on my face as a sped up towards the dorms.

'I can't wait to meet so many new people!' I thought.

I ran for about 3 minutes and finally reached the boy's dorms. Full of excitement, I got to the 3rd floor as fast as I could and reached my room, Room 305. My future roommate was most likely right behind this door. So many thoughts were going through my head, but I had to muster up the courage to open the door. I shook my head around so I could regain my focus and put my hand on the doorknob. With a deep breath, I swung open the door.

"Hi! I'm-!" I shouted as a opened the door. But, no one was there, well, someone _was_ there, but they weren't there right at that moment. I sighed and reluctantly walked in. Quickly, I unpacked my things and set up everything I needed. As I was putting my clothes in my dresser, a distorted and mysterious noise came from the other side of the room. I slowly turned around, underwear in hand, and a small purple portal that was emitting blue particles had opened up in my room. "What the-?!" I blurted out as I jumped back a bit. After a few seconds of slight panic, I inched closer, slowly. I got close enough to where I could put my head in if I wanted to, but I was too cautious at the time. I stared at the portal intensely, trying to deduce some answer for why it appeared in my room. Then, out of nowhere, a face popped out of the portal, centimeters from mine.

"Oh, so you're my roommate," said the face with no emotion. I let out a short blood-curdling scream in response and jumped back straight into my dresser. Everyone in the building must have heard that scream... It wasn't one of my best moments. The impact of me and my dresser was short, but it sent a shock of pain through my back.

"Oww... Dammit..." I muttered while rubbing my back.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the face apologized. A hand then came out of the portal and grabbed the side. Slowly, a short boy started to crawl out, and once he was all the way out the portal had closed. He had short and messy light brown hair and eyes that told you 'I'm not interested'.

"Uh, wha-... Um, who-?" I stuttered, still rubbing my back. I had no idea how to process this. A boy just crawled out of a portal that appeared out of thin air..? If you told anyone that story they'd probably think you're crazy or something. Then, the boy outstretched his right hand, signaling me to shake it.

"I'm Chris. Chris Sanders," Chris introduced. I smiled slightly and promptly shook his hand.

"I'm Tucker Evans, your roommate!" I announced. Chris smirked.

"Nice to meet you, Tucker," he said, "Well, I'm gonna take a walk. Don't touch any of my stuff, alright?" Then, he suddenly started walking towards the door.

"Wait, what's your Quirk?" I asked. Chris stopped right in front of the door and turned his head back slightly to look at me.

"Oh, you'll learn more eventually," he said with a satisfied smile on his face. Lazily, he opened the door and walked out of the dorm room. I stood there staring at the door, confused.

"Uh... Okay..?" I whispered as I turned around and continued to unpack. 10 minutes passed and I finished unpacking, so I also decided to take a walk around the campus to get accustomed to it. From what I remember, it was pretty hot on that day. It was a Sunday afternoon in August, so of course it would be hot. I walked out of the boy's dorm building and followed along the sidewalk. Passing the gymnasium, I tried to open the door to check it out, but sadly, it was locked. I sighed and continued walking. The walk between the dorm buildings and the main school building was about three minutes, so it was tolerable even in the heat. But, the entire time I was walking I was looking around like I was a tourist. Now that I think about it... it's really embarrassing. Nevermind, let me get back on topic.

Eventually, I made it to the main building where all of the classes would be held. It was four stories tall and took up almost 1/4 of the entire campus. I was so excited to go in and look around the school that I would be attending for the next four years. But, to my surprise, it was locked, too.

"Seriously..?" I questioned. I drooped my head down and spun around, beginning to walk back towards the boy's dorms. "I guess I can just organize my things before school tomorrow," I whispered to myself.

"Hey, you!" a high pitched shouted out. Like any person, I turned my head in the direction of the voice, thinking it was directed at me. I saw a girl who was about my height with ash blonde hair running towards me, waving her hand. At this point in my life, I wasn't the best at talking to girls. Yeah, I could have a conversation with them, but sometimes I could be awkward depending on the topic. With a confused look, I pointed to myself and mouthed the word, 'Me?'. She nodded in response. It didn't take her long to reach me and get all up in my face. "Hey! Do you know where the library is?" she asked, "I'm kinda lost..." I shook my head.

"No, sorry... I'm new here," I responded. Her face beamed with excitement after I said that.

"Oh, you're a freshman, too?!" she shouted. I nodded slowly. "Cool! I'm Elizabeth Meadows, I'm in the Hero Division!" she exclaimed. My eyes lit up and I smiled widely.

"You're in the Hero Division, too?!" I questioned loudly. She nodded rapidly. "I'm so glad I met someone who's also in it! Oh, I'm Tucker Evans, by the way," I introduced. She leaned in closer and stuck her hands back.

"Nice to meet you, Tucker!" she beamed. She got so close that I had to back up and turn my head so she wouldn't see how red my face was.

"Y-yeah, you too Elizabeth," I stuttered. She backed up and smiled.

"Well, I'll see you at class tomorrow!" she said as she spun around and walked down the path. I took a deep breath and continued walking towards the boy's dorms.

'I felt like my face was gonna heat up after her being that close,' I thought, 'I'm not used to girls being that open with me...' I shook my head back and forth. 'Jeez, I need to stop overthinking things. She was just being nice, nothing more, nothing less.' I continued to think.

After the disappointment of the doors being locked, I arrived back at my dorm room. Chris still wasn't back yet, so I decided to organize some of my supplies for school the next day. Time passed, the sun went down, and people were starting to lock up for the night. But, Chris still wasn't home. I sat in the middle of the room, spaced out on the floor.

"Dammit, we should've exchanged phone numbers or something..." I whispered. Then, I bolted up because of a sudden realization. "Don't tell me... Is he some sort of late-night partier or something..?!" I questioned loudly. "I don't know if I feel comfortable about rooming with someone like that. But, he could teach me the inner workings of that kind of stuff..." I muttered, "No! I don't want to associate myself with that! I want to become a respectable hero, a hero who only does good!"

"What are you even talking about?" asked Chris, who was suddenly in the room. I spun around and jumped back.

"Wh-where did you come from?! How long have you been there?!" I questioned. He stared at me and walked over to his bed. I quickly stood up and turned to him. "Hey, I know you said that I'll learn more eventually, but..." I murmured. Chris looked at me, waiting for me to finish my statement. "I'd really like to know more about your Quirk! Please tell me!" I shouted. He chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you," he replied with a smirk, "Just don't tell anyone in class. I'm trying to give off that mysterious vibe, y'know?"

"What class?" I questioned, "We don't even know if we have any classes together... Wait, are you in the Hero Division? Wait, wait, wait... How do you know that _I'm_ in it, though?"

"I heard you and that Elizabeth girl talking about it earlier," he mentioned. I stared at him with a face of utter confusion. I put my hand on my chin and started thinking intensely.

"Wait, you were... spying on me..? But... I feel like I would've noticed you... How did you-" I muttered.

"Pocket Dimension," he stated.

"Huh?" I questioned as I lifted my head up.

"Yeah, Pocket Dimension. It's my Quirk," he stated again. I took a step closer to him and smiled.

"Woah! That sounds so cool!" I shouted. He put his finger on his lips, signaling me to quiet down.

"You probably shouldn't shout in here. It's like 9:30 P.M., people are heading to bed," he suggested.

"O-oh, right! Sorry..." I stuttered while scratching the back of my head. "So, what does your Quirk-"

"Time for bed...!" Chris cut me off by shutting all the lights off. Then, he flipped his covers over himself and passed out instantly.

"But..." I muttered. Chris started snoring at that point. I sighed and walked over to my dresser to grab my pajamas. "I guess I'll find out some other time," I whispered, unsatisfied. Quickly, I put my pajamas on and went to sleep for the night, excited for my first day of High School.

I had a good nights sleep and woke up at 6:00 A.M. sharp. Class started at 7:20 A.M., so I gave myself plenty of time to prepare for the day. I jumped out of bed and looked over at Chris, who was still asleep.

'He probably has his own sleep schedule,' I thought as I put on my uniform. Then, I ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, grabbed my backpack, and left the dorm building... at 6:30 A.M.

"I got ready that fast?!" I shouted as a glanced at the time on my phone. I slowly scratched the top of my head, thinking. "What am I gonna do until class starts..?" I whispered. I looked around and the courtyard outside the dorm buildings was a barren wasteland. Everyone was either still asleep, or currently getting ready. I sighed. "I guess I'll just wait near the main building..." I muttered reluctantly.

I made my way towards the main building and found a bench placed closeby. Oh, also, the campus of Blackwood Academy isn't similar to any American High Schools that I know of. It mostly resembles an American College. Past the main building, it features a different building that has a library, pool, workout areas, etc. That different building also includes the Support Division classrooms. I just feel like I needed to explain that. Now, back to me sitting on a bench.

I must've spaced out in the time between me sitting down and the bell ringing, because I don't remember a single thing about what happened in that time. So, once the bell rang, I jumped up in the bench and saw a large group of various students walking inside the main building.

"Oh! It's time!' I thought with a huge smile on my face. I happily stood up and jogged towards the front entrance. Now, I'm gonna be completely honest here... I got lost after a few seconds of walking around the school. I was so excited that I just wasn't paying attention to any of my surroundings and I somehow forgot about finding my class. Luckily, I eventually found my first class and went on with my day.

If you're wondering, my schedule went like this: Algebra 1, Biology, American Literature, Graphic Design, Sociology, and Hero Training. I went through all of my classes and arrived at the one I was looking forward to the most, Hero Training.

By the time I got there, the classroom was filled with students. I couldn't make out the exact number, but it wasn't as many as I was expecting. The first people who caught my eye were Chris, Elizabeth, and some guy who was crouched over because he was over 10 feet tall. I stared at the extremely tall boy in shock, but I as I was standing still, Elizabeth noticed me in the doorway.

"Oh, Tucker!" she shouted while waving. I replied with a small wave and walked over to the desks. "I was wondering where you were!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to get used to this place..." I muttered. She giggled and got ready to say something. But, the bell rang, cutting her off. As soon as the bell rang, a teacher entered the room.

"Students, take your seats!" he demanded with a smile. Everyone simultaneously sat down and waited patiently. The teacher pulled out his clipboard and looked over it. "So, only 17 of you this year, huh?" he muttered, "It gets smaller every year..." Then, a boy with light gray hair stood up raised his hand.

"Sir, I have a question," the boy announced.

"Go ahead!" exclaimed the teacher. The boy cleared his throat.

"Are there any other Hero Training classes that aren't our class?" asked the boy. The teacher shook his head.

"Nope! You guys are the only one!" the teacher shouted proudly for some reason. Everyone's face went to shock instantly.

"Wait, so there's only 17 of us in the Hero Division?!" questioned a boy with black hair.

"...Is this even a hero school..?" questioned a quiet white-haired girl.

"Wow, so we're the only people aiming to be heroes in this school? So cool!" I shouted. The teacher then shushed everyone.

"Now, now, quiet down. You see, every year the Hero Division gets smaller and smaller. Honestly, the entire school is attempting to drop the Hero Division completely to become a regular school with no hero focus. There are over 1000 students here and you guys are the only students in the Hero Division... it's crazy! I'm the only reason they keep this class running at this point!" the teacher announced.

'So, we don't even make up 1% of the school?!' Everyone thought simultaneously, staring at him.

"Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself... I'm Mr. Tanner, your Hero Training teacher!" Mr. Tanner introduced. Everyone continued to stare at him with dead eyes, except for me and a few others. I was so excited to finally be in a Hero class that I didn't care what we did. All I cared about was the fact that I was there. Mr. Tanner then placed his hand on his chin and started thinking.

"Hmm... I have an idea!" he exclaimed, "Let's make this first class interesting, alright?" Then, everyone's eyes lit up simultaneously. "How about... A mini-tournament in the gymnasium?" Mr. Tanner suggested.

'We're already doing something this intense on the first day?!' I thought, starting to become nervous.

『No. 1 - END』


	2. The Gymnasium Tourney

"Hmm... I have an idea!" he exclaimed, "Let's make this first class interesting, alright?" Then, everyone's eyes lit up simultaneously. "How about... A mini-tournament in the gymnasium?" Mr. Tanner suggested.

'We're already doing something this intense on the first day?!' I thought, starting to become nervous.

『No. 2 - The Gymnasium Tourney』

"A tournament?!" shouted a black-haired boy while clenching his fist, "I'm gettin' fired up!" A boy with red hair raised his hand in a pretentious manner.

"What are the rules? How badly can we hurt our opponent?" he questioned. A boy seated next to the red-haired boy turned towards him.

"Are you trying to kill the other person or something?" he asked nervously. Then, Mr. Tanner shushed everyone.

"I'll explain everything once we get into the Gym!" he exclaimed, "Now, proceed to Blackwood Gymnasium and put on you Gym Uniforms that the school provided for you! We'll meet when you're all ready!" Right after Mr. Tanner finished his sentence, about half of the class ran out as fast as they could. But, I still sat at my desk, starting to sweat a bit from the nervousness.

'I'm not that experienced in combat yet... What am I going to do..?' I thought, staring at my desk. I could feel the cold sweat running down my face as I sat there, thinking. Then, I felt a light tap on my head.

"Hey, Earth to Tucker. We gotta get going," Chris said. I quickly turned my head to look at him and nodded.

"R-right!" I stuttered. Eventually, everyone left the classroom and walked to the Gymnasium. I walked over with Chris and kept trying to press for more details about his Quirk.

"So, you're Quirk is called 'Pocket Dimension', right?" I questioned. Chris nodded while not even looking at me. "So, does that mean you have, like, a separate dimension that you can go into?" I continued. Chris didn't react, well, he actually did react by walking faster. "H-hey! Wait!" I exclaimed while trying to keep up with him. Unfortunately, I didn't get any answers through that whole conversation. After the walk, we all arrived at the Gymnasium. When we walked in our steps echoed throughout and the smell of dust filled the gym. Then, everyone entered the locker rooms to change into their Gym Uniforms.

"Okay, students! Let's go over the rules that I just came up with!" Mr. Tanner announced. Everyone just stared at him with disappointed faces. "So, this tournament will consist of many one-on-one battles! If you lose your battle, you will be eliminated from the tournament! But, as for where the fights will be taking place..." Mr. Tanner then pulled out a button of some kind and pressed it. As soon as he pressed the button, the basketball court's floor opened up and a stone platform rose about four feet above the floor. The platform was about 50 feet by 70 feet, saving room for the spectators to watch. We all stared at the platform even after it finished rising up.

"Whoa... So cool..!" I muttered in awe.

"This is where your battles will take place! If you get knocked off of the platform or become unable to continue fighting, you lose!" Mr. Tanner explained.

"Um..!" a quiet white-haired girl blurted out, "What will we do if we get hurt..?" Mr. Tanner pointed at her aggressively, making her jump a bit.

"Great question!" he exclaimed, "Uh... What's your name?"

"R-rin..." she stuttered. Mr. Tanner threw his arm up and pointed back at her again.

"Great question, Rin! Allow me to explain!" he shouted. "You see, the only reason they keep the Hero Division up and running is because of my Quirk." We all focused our eyes on him, waiting patiently for the reason. "My Quirk is called Reverse. Basically, I can heal any and all injuries, but it has to be within a minute of the injuries happening!" Everyone 'Ooo'd' simultaneously. "But, I can't reverse death," he said with a slightly deeper voice. Everyone's interest turned into anxiety at that moment. But, like the excitable kid I was, I was still in awe at Mr. Tanner's amazing Quirk.

"Our teacher is soo cool..!" I whispered to myself. Chris, who was standing next to me, noticed and chuckled a bit. Then, Mr. Tanner threw both of his arms up in the air.

"With my Quirk, you kids can go all out! Show me your true power!" he exclaimed. Then, his eyes went blank. "Wait, there's 17 of you. How will we have a one-on-one tournament..?" he muttered. A black-haired boy near the front of the group instantly raised his hand.

"I have an idea, sir!" he shouted with all of the passion of a thousand men. A smile grew on Mr. Tanner's face as he pointed at the boy.

"Explain your idea and your name!" he exclaimed. The black-haired boy then put his hand on his chest.

"My name is Luke May and I volunteer to be the 'final boss' of this tournament!" he announced. Mr. Tanner stared at him and tilted his head to the side.

"Final boss?" he questioned. Luke nodded.

"Yes, let me explain! I volunteer to sit out for the tournament so I can come in at the end to fight the person who reaches the end of the bracket!" he yelled. Mr. Tanner's face lit up.

"What a great idea, Luke!" he shouted.

"These guys are meant for each other..." Chris quietly joked. I chuckled.

"With Luke sitting out, we have 16 students taking part in the tournament! Now, I'll put all of your names into our custom made Tournament Bracket Randomizer™!" Mr. Tanner announced as he pulled out a smartphone-like device.

"...It's trademarked..?" a boy behind me whispered to himself. After inputting all of our names, he outstretched his arm and pointed the device at the wall to our left.

"And here's the bracket made by our Tournament Bracket Randomizer™!" he shouted as he pressed a button. Then, a projection of a bracket appeared on the wall.

The Hero Division Tournament Bracket

Round 1

Match 1 - _Vincent Weber_ VS _Lance Reeves_  
Match 2 - _Mason Stone_ VS _Christopher Sanders_  
Match 3 - _Tucker Evans_ VS _Kason Hawkins_  
Match 4 - _Lincoln Kim_ VS _Kassidy Fisher_  
Match 5 - _Elizabeth Meadows_ VS _June Graham_  
Match 6 - _Ray Donovan_ VS _David Grant_  
Match 7 - _Xavier Yu_ VS _Emi Olsen_  
Match 8 - _Hai Ren_ VS _Rin Yukimura_

Final Boss - _Luke May_

"Find your name on the list to see when your battle is!" Mr. Tanner announced. I scanned the list and found my name in match three.

"Kason Hawkins..." I whispered to myself. A red-haired boy who was standing near me turned in my direction.

"Ah, so you're Tucker Evans..." he said. I nodded nervously.

'Of course, I get paired with the guy who was talking about badly injuring his opponents earlier!' I thought.

"Well, when the time comes, let's have a good match..." he said while walking over to the spectator area, "...and don't hold back," he muttered under his breath. I jumped a bit and started to sweat nervously. Then, a hand placed itself on my shoulder and made me jump again.

"You got paired with the scary guy, huh?" Chris asked. I turned to look at Chris and sighed.

"Yeah, talk about bad luck..." I muttered. Chris took his hand off of my shoulder and nodded.

"Well, the only advice I can give you is... don't overestimate him too much," Chris mentioned.

"Huh?" I questioned.

"If you overestimate him, then you'll have doubts about winning. Don't do that," Chris explained. I smiled and nodded, slowly becoming less nervous.

"Yeah, you're right," I said.

"Enough chit-chat! Let's get this show on the road! Vincent and Lance, please step onto the platform!" Mr. Tanner shouted. Suddenly, bleachers extended from the wall of the gym, allowing us to sit and watch. Vincent Weber and Lance Reeves walked up to opposite sides of the platform and patiently waited for Mr. Tanner's word to start. "Round 1, Match 1! Ready..? Set... Go!" he shouted.

Right as Mr. Tanner shouted, Vincent charged towards Lance at full speed. He held his arm down will running and his fingers sharpened like razor blades.

 _Vincent Weber. Quirk, Razor Blades. Vincent can transform his fingers and toes to become as sharp as razor blades!_

Lance gulped and took a step back, moving his arm in front of him. His arm then grew multiple spikes on its surface.

 _Lance Reeves. Quirk, Thorns. Lance can grow thorns on any part of their body. When the thorns make contact with an object, they pop-off and pierce the object no matter how tough it is!_

"Spikes..?" I questioned.

"They look more like thorns," Chris corrected me.

"...Right..." I whispered, watching the fight closely.

As Vincent reached Lance, he pulled back his arm and started to swing towards Lance, like he was going to scratch him with his sharp fingers. But, as the fingers got closer, he transformed them back to his normal fingers. He swiftly grabbed Lance's shirt and threw him off of the platform. Lance slammed onto the Gymnasium floor and it echoed through the building. Mr. Tanner quickly stood up.

"Lance is out of bounds! Vincent is the winner and advances to round 2!" Mr. Tanner announced.

"That was smart..." Chris mentioned. Elizabeth heard him and leaned in his direction.

"What was? I didn't notice anything..." she admitted.

"Well, when Vincent swung at Lance, he had his fingers in their sharper form, right? This made Lance go on the defensive and cover himself with his arm. But, this also gave Vincent an opening. So, he turned his fingers back to normal and grabbed Lance's exposed spot." Chris explained. Elizabeth and I stared at Chris in shock.

"I didn't take you for the analytical type," Elizabeth said. Chris shrugged and leaned back.

"I guess I am. I just like watching this stuff, that's all," he stated nonchalantly.

"The next match is Mason Stone and Christopher Sanders!" Mr. Tanner announced. Chris' face went from relaxed to annoyed the instant he heard his name. He slowly rose up and walked over to the platform along with Mason. Elizabeth moved over to Chris' seat, which was next to me.

"Hey, Tucker, do you know what Chris' Quirk is?" she asked. I sighed and scratched my head.

"All I know is that he can make portals or something..." I muttered.

"Whoa... That's cool..!" she whispered. I leaned forward while sitting down and a grin grew on my face.

'I finally get to see it in action..!' I thought. Suddenly, Mr. Tanner stood up.

"Round 1, Match 2! Ready..? Set... Go!" he shouted. Instantly, Mason pointed two fingers in Chris' direction. A green trail started to leave Chris' body and flowed towards Mason's fingers.

"I'll be taking your energy now, Christopher!" Mason shouted triumphantly.

 _Mason Stone. Quirk, Stamina Sapper. Mason can steal other human's energy by pointing at them and focusing. The energy that is stolen then becomes extra energy for Mason, giving him a slight power boost._

Chris then fell down to one knee from the sudden loss of stamina and looked up with an annoyed look on his face.

"Did you just... call me... Christopher..?" he questioned. He then placed his hand on the platform below him and a portal opened up, making him fall in. The portal sealed up as soon as Chris went through.

 _Christopher_ _Sanders. Quirk, Pocket_ _Dimension_ _._ _Chris_ _can create small_ _portals_ _out of thin air that leads to a small 50x50 feet room. If he opens a portal, walks 10 feet in_ _his_ _pocket_ _dimension_ _room, and pops back_ _out_ _,_ _he'll_ _come out of it 10 feet farther than he originally was. Each_ _portal_ _made eats up some of his stamina. The size of the_ _portal_ _also determines the amount of stamina taken._

"What the-?!" questioned Mason. Elizabeth's eyes lit up.

"Whhooaaaa..! That's sooo cool!" she shouted. After about 10 seconds of nothing happening, a portal opened up behind Mason and Chris poked his head out.

"It's Chris," he said menacingly as he grabbed Mason's shirt.

"Wait-! Wha-?!" Mason stuttered as Chris pulled him into the portal. Like before, the portal sealed up instantly, leaving the platform empty. Everyone sat there in silence, not even knowing what to say about what just occurred. Then, another portal opened up near the edge of the platform and Mason flew out of the portal, landing outside of the platform. We all stared at him as he looked as confused as we were. Chris poked his head out of the portal again.

"Did I win?" he asked.

"O-oh!" Mr. Tanner stuttered, "Right! Christopher is the winner!" Chris glared at Mr. Tanner.

"It's just Chris," he stated with a serious voice. Mr. Tanner jumped a bit and nodded.

"R-right!" he exclaimed, "U-uh... anyways... Onto the next match! Tucker Evans and Kason Hawkins!" A sudden wave of anxiety hit me. I totally forgot that it was my turn to go. I slowly looked up and saw Kason already walking over to the platform. After a deep breath, I stood up and saw Chris flash me a thumbs up. I smiled and nodded as I walked over to the platform. Kason and I stood on each side of the platform. He stared me down as I glanced around all over the place nervously, trying to not make eye contact.

'I don't have many options here...' I thought, 'With my Quirk, the only thing I can do is rush him with everything I've got. But, if he has a Quirk that can counter me... then I'm totally screwed...'

"Round 1, Match 3! Ready..?" Mr. Tanner said.

'I can't overestimate him... just like Chris said,' I continued to think, 'All I need to do is overwhelm him..! That's my best option if I want to win this!'

"Set..." Mr. Tanner continued.

'I gotta make a good first impression to the class!' I thought again, determination flowing through me.

"Go!" Mr. Tanner shouted.

『No. 2 - END』


	3. Passion of Youth

'I don't have many options here...' I thought, 'With my Quirk, the only thing I can do is rush him with everything I've got. But, if he has a Quirk that can counter me... then I'm screwed...'

"Round 1, Match 3! Ready..?" Mr. Tanner said.

'I can't overestimate him... just like Chris said,' I continued to think, 'All I need to do is overwhelm him..! That's my best option if I want to win this!'

"Set..." Mr. Tanner continued.

'I gotta make a good first impression to the class!' I thought again, determination flowing through me.

"Go!" Mr. Tanner shouted.

『No. 3 - Passion of Youth』

The instant Mr. Tanner shouted I placed my hand on the stone platform and sprinted towards Kason.

'Don't give him time to think..!' I thought. As I got closer, Kason pointed up and did a circular motion with his index finger. Then, a red and slightly transparent orb appeared out of thin air and fell into his hand.

 _Kason Hawkins. Quirk, Death Orb. The Kason can conjure red transparent orbs out of thin air. At full power, these orbs have the force of a semi-truck driving at full speed. But, at their lowest power, they have the force of a ping pong ball. However, each orb created takes up some of Kason's vitality._

'So, that's his quirk, huh..? Is he gonna throw it at me..?' I thought, still charging at him. The result that followed after my thought was nothing that I expected. Smoothly, Kason raised his left foot and cupped the ball into his hands around his head area, like getting ready to pitch a baseball. He took a deep breath then lunged his left foot forward, sliding it across the ground. During this, he pulled his right arm back and launched the orb forward. The force that was released when he threw the orb was so immense that it shook the entire gym.

The orb barrelled towards me, going so fast that I couldn't even dodge it. 'Oh. I'm dead,' I thought. But, the orb went right past my head. 'It missed..?' I thought as I quickly turned my head around. But, the orb wasn't behind me. '...No...' I thought again. I quickly spun my head to the right to see the orb had curved around and was now coming straight towards my shoulder. As fast as I could, I transformed the skin on my shoulder to the stone that the platform was made out of. The orb slammed into my shoulder with great force, slowly cracking the stone and making me slide across the platform. 'This force..! It's gonna push me out!' I thought. In order to slow myself down, I changed the skin on my feet to stone, tearing my shoes up from the force. The immense power of the orb never stopped. With any other orb-like object, its force would stop after coming in contact with something, but with this orb... there was no stopping it. My feet broke through the surface of the platform, digging my feet into the ground and giving me a foothold. I grit my teeth as I got closer and closer to the edge. 'I can't lose right off the bat..!' I thought. But then, the orb shrank and vanished. Everyone in the bleachers just stared in silence at what had just transpired. Then, Elizabeth quickly stood up and gasped.

"He withstood it!" Elizabeth shouted, "Nice job, Tucker!" I tried to smile in response, but it was difficult to smile after the beating that orb gave me. I glanced at my shoulder and saw a huge burn where the orb had collided.

"Damn..." I muttered.

"Not enough, huh?" Kason said. He quickly pointed up with both of his fingers and did the circular motion with them like he did before. This time, two red orbs appeared and fell into his hands. I stared at him, worry flowing through my body. Honestly, I don't remember what I was even thinking at this moment, but suddenly, I charged towards Kason again. When the orb hit me, I was about halfway down the platform, so I was getting very close at this point. He took a step back and launched the two orbs in my direction but with less power this time. They were closer to the ground than the previous orb, so they collided with the platform beneath me, launching me forward. Kason took another step back with hesitation. Once I got close enough, I pulled back my left fist and transformed it into stone.

"I'm not losing this!" I shouted. I didn't notice at the time, but Kason formed an orb down by his leg and started to raise his arm up with the orb in hand. I unleashed my punch directly into his face, but he threw his arm up as I punched and I noticed too late. The orb showed up in the corner of my eye and it slammed into my face... That's the last thing I remember from that fight. I'm not really sure why I got so into it when there were no stakes involved, but I feel like the pressure of making a good first impression was coursing through me. After what seemed like only mere seconds, I woke up while laying on the bleachers.

"You're finally up, huh?" Chris said. I rose slowly and scratched my head.

"Wh-what happened..?" I asked.

"Kason's ball thing hit you square in the face and threw you out of the ring," Chris explained. I sighed.

"I thought as much," I whispered as I turned to look at the platform. The boy who was taller than 10 feet was standing there along with a girl who looked like an ant compared to him. "Wait, how long was I out..?" I asked. Chris shrugged.

"We're halfway through the second round now," he said, nonchalantly. I jumped back in shock.

"What?! I missed that much?!" I shouted.

"Yeah, I already went and won, so I'm going into the semi-finals," Chris mentioned.

"Woah, cool! I wish I would've been awake to see it," I said. I looked around the bleachers and noticed something weird. "Hey, where's Elizabeth..?" I asked.

"Oh, right. She's in the nurse's office right now. Mr. Tanner wasn't able to heal all of her wounds in time," Chris said. I scrambled towards him and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Is she okay?!" I shouted.

"Y-yeah, she's fine. Calm down," he murmured. I let go of him and turned back towards the platform.

"Sorry... What happened anyway?" I questioned. Chris then pointed to the girl who was on the platform right now, waiting to start the match.

"That's who she went up against," Chris said, "She's really strong." I gulped and stared at the girl. "But, she's going up against David, the big guy," Chris mentioned, "From what I've seen, he's one of the strongest here..."

"This'll be interesting then," I whispered.

"Alright! Round 2, Match 3! June Graham VS. David Grant!" Mr. Tanner yelled, "Ready..? Set..." June, the girl on the platform, started to move her hand up as Mr. Tanner was shouting the countdown. I stared and wondered what she was going to do. "Go!" Mr. Tanner yelled. Once he yelled go, June pointed a finger gun at David and a blue orb of energy started to form around the tips of her fingers. I leaned forward in the bleachers with a surprised look on my face.

'What could her Quirk be..?' I thought. David started to walk slowly in June's direction with a loud thud with every step. The energy on the ends of June's fingers continued to grow and grow, and eventually the energy shot like a bullet off of her fingers, barrelling towards David.

 _June Graham. Quirk, Finger Cannon. June can create immense energy from her index fingers and fire it off as a projectile. However, the more energy that is released, the more stamina that June loses._

David quickly crossed his arms in order to block the blast, which collided right into him, exploding on impact. June stumbled back a bit from the sudden loss of stamina but was able to stay standing. Smoke and dust from the explosion covered David's side of the platform, leaving him cloaked by it. Eventually, the smoke cleared and David didn't move an inch, but he did have a few scratches on his arm.

 _David Grant. Quirk, Behemoth. David is more than double the height of the average human. Every physical trait is also doubled, muscle, weight, etc. He can't revert to a normal form, however._

June took a step back in hesitation and pointed her finger at David again, shooting multiple smaller blasts. David just kept walking, taking blast after blast with nothing happening. After shooting more blasts, June stumbled over and fell to the ground.

"Wha-?" I questioned. I quickly turned to Chris and pointed at June. "What happened?" I asked.

"I'm assuming every time she fires off some energy, the energy is actually her stamina. She got so scared about David being able to take the hits that she wasn't paying attention to her stamina usage," Chris explained.

"Ooooohhh... That makes sense," I said.

"June is unable to continue! David advances to the next round!" Mr. Tanner shouted. "Next match is Emi Olsen VS. Hai Ren! Please move over to the platform!" A girl who was seated to my left suddenly stood up. She had blue hair and turquoise eyes like some kind of water goddess.

"What are their Quirks?" I asked Chris.

"Well, the girl with the blue hair has a water-type Quirk," he said.

"What about the other girl... Hai Ren?" I asked again.

"I won't spoil her Quirk, but I will say that it's very strong," he responded. I shuffled to the side and turned back to the platform.

"Last time you said someone was strong they passed out in the middle of the match," I said under my breath.

"What did you say?" Chris asked while clenching his fist in a threatening manner.

"Oh, nothing..!" I exclaimed.

Both Emi and Hai walked over to the platform and got in their respective positions.

"Here we go! Round 2, Match 4! Emi Olsen VS. Hai Ren!" Mr. Tanner shouted. I noticed that Hai seemed very calm, staring straight into her opponent's eyes.

"She seems really serious..." I said. Chris nodded.

"Ready..? Set... Go!" shouted Mr. Tanner. Hai took a deep breath and got into a karate stance. Before Emi could even activate her Quirk, Hai swiftly took her right hand and chopped down, hitting her hand on the platform. After one long second of anticipation, the platform was cut entirely in half in an instant.

 _Hai Ren. Quirk, Cleave. Hai's chops are leagues stronger than an average human's. The power of the chops can be altered by her. However, there's nothing that signifies the power of the chop. The only person who knows the power is the Hai. The more the Quirk is used, the more the user's hand will strain. If used too much, their hand could potentially break._

Emi's footing was broken up with the chop, and she was thrown off the side of the platform after losing her balance. Everyone stared in shock, even Mr. Tanner. Chris nudged my arm with his elbow and scoffed.

"Told'ya she was strong," he joked. I just sat there, silent. Hai bowed and walked off of the destroyed platform.

"U-uh... Hai is the winner..!" Mr. Tanner stuttered. "That marks the end of the second round! Let me replace this broken platform with a new one and then we can start the third round!" he exclaimed.

"...Watching everyone fight..." I muttered, "...really makes me realize the rush I got while fighting Kason..." Chris turned to me slowly.

"Is that so?" he asked. I nodded, stared down at the bleachers, and smiled.

"Yeah, I really want to fight him again," I said with a serious tone.

"Alright, the start of the third round is Chris Sanders and Kason Hawkins!" Mr. Tanner said. Right as I heard that, a wave of worry washed over me and I quickly turned to Chris, who was already standing up.

"W-wait! You're fighting Kason?!" I shouted. Chris nodded and started walking down the bleachers.

"I'll beat him for you," he whispered with a smirk.

I watched him as he walked away, anxious to see how this fight would turn out. Then, I noticed Kason walking down the bleachers as well, staring at the ground. They both arrived at the platform and awaited Mr. Tanner's starting words.

"Round 3, Match 1! Christoph- Chris Sanders VS. Kason Hawkins!" Mr. Tanner announced. I gulped and could feel cold sweat running down my body.

'Why am I so nervous..?' I thought. Chris yawned while standing on the platform, looking like he was about to fall asleep. 'I shouldn't be worried if he isn't worried, but...' I thought again.

"Ready..? Set... Go!" shouted Mr. Tanner.

『No. 3 - END』


	4. Semi-Finals

"Round 3, Match 1! Christo- Chris Sanders VS. Kason Hawkins!" Mr. Tanner announced. I gulped and could feel cold sweat running down my body.

'Why am I so nervous..?' I thought. Chris yawned while standing on the platform, looking like he was about to fall asleep. 'I shouldn't be worried if he isn't worried, but...' I thought again.

"Ready..? Set... Go!" shouted Mr. Tanner.

『No. 4 - Semi-Finals』

Not even a second after Mr. Tanner said 'Go!', Kason already created a red orb and prepared to throw it. Chris stood there, staring at Kason and waiting for him to make his move. Like before, Kason prepared his throw in a baseball pitcher fashion and launched the ball towards Chris. The launch was even more powerful than when he threw the orb at me. Everyone could feel a gust of wind as the orb left his hand. But, even with all of this power, Chris simply made a portal in front of himself. The portal sucked in the orb instantly and closed soon after. I could tell that this annoyed Kason immensely. How could I tell? Well, as soon as the orb got sucked up, Kason had already created two more orbs and was close to launching them. They launched out of his hands towards Chris. One of the orbs flew past him and the other was heading straight for him. Chris opened a portal and caught one, but the other came back around like a boomerang and slammed into the side of Chris' waist. The force launched him in the air towards the edge of the platform. But, he quickly made a portal and went into his pocket dimension. Kason stood there, analyzing the situation, looking around frantically, and creating two new orbs. Before a portal even opened, Kason turned his head around slightly to look behind him. Soon after, a portal opened up right where Kason was looking and Chris popped out ready to attack. Chris saw Kason staring at him, anticipating his move.

"You're way too predictable," Kason said as he threw an orb right into Chris' stomach, launching him into the wall.

"Chris!" I shouted, quickly standing up. Chris slammed into the wall and slid down, landing outside of the platform.

"Chris is out of bounds! Kason wins and moves onto the finals!" Mr. Tanner shouted. Then, he ran over to Chris and healed any wounds he had. Everyone stared at Kason as he walked off of the platform and back over to the top row of the bleachers. "Well, we're running out of time for this class so let's get these last few matches done quickly," mentioned Mr. Tanner, "David Grant and Hai Ren, you're up!" Hai, who was sitting a few rows down from me, promptly stood up and made her way over to the platform. David wasn't even on the bleachers since he was too big. He was hanging out near the bottom row, so he quickly went to the platform also.

In the time they were walking over, Chris arrived back at the bleachers rubbing his back.

"Damn... That Kason really slammed me against that wall good," he said as he sat down next to me.

"Didn't Mr. Tanner heal your injuries?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, but I still feel a bit sore," he groaned. I turned towards Kason and met eyes with him. He was glaring at me. I stared back with more of a shocked expression than a confident one. Quickly, I turned back towards the platform, anticipating the next fight.

"Okay, let's get this started! Round 3, Match 2, David Grant VS. Hai Ren! Ready..? Set... Go!" Mr. Tanner announced.

Instead of staying in one place like last time, Hai charged forward towards David. However, David stood still and anticipated her attack. Hai leaped forward and brought her arm up with her hand ready to chop. David took a step forward with his arm outstretched trying to grab her. She swiftly dodged David's arm mid-air and chopped the air in front of her aimed at David's stomach. The force of her chop slammed into David's chest and launched him out of the ring. Hai landed and slowly bowed.

"She's good," I whispered. Chris nodded.

"Yeah, she really should've gone to a better school," he joked.

"David is out of bounds, so Hai is the winner! She moves onto the finals!" shouted Mr. Tanner.

'The finals...' I thought, 'Hai and... Kason...' I subtly turned my head to catch a glimpse of Kason. He was intensely watching the fight, eyes wide and a big smile on his face. 'He looks kinda crazy like that... Not very hero-like, if you ask me.' I continued to think. Chris noticed me peering at Kason and tapped my shoulder.

"Stalking Kason?" he asks. I jumped and quickly shook my head.

"N-no! I'm just..." I stuttered. Kason's smile disappeared from his face and he glared at me again, making me turn the other way. 'What is his deal with me?' I thought.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about him. He's probably gonna get his ass handed to him in this next fight," Chris said. I chuckled.

"Yeah... probably..." I muttered. That's what I thought, but deep down I knew that it wouldn't be the case.

"Alright, kids, time for the finals! Hai Ren and Kason Hawkins, please step up to the platform!" said Mr. Tanner.

"...Probably..." I said.

"Huh? You say something?" Chris asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's nothing,"

『No. 4 - END』


	5. Kason Hawkins' True Nature

Kason was definitely the most mysterious classmate I had while attending Blackwood. For the first few days, something always felt off about him. I could never tell what he was thinking. He always had a blank expression on his face, except when he was in a fight. In fights... that's when Kason would show his true nature.

『No. 5 - Kason Hawkins' True Nature』

"Time for the main event before the other main event!" Mr. Tanner shouted. "For the 'final' round, we have Kason Hawkins and Hai Ren! This one is definitely gonna be a fight of the century, folks!"

"Why is he talking like he's hosting this to thousands of people..." Chris muttered.

Mr. Tanner pumped his fist up. "Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" he said. Kason and Hai arrived at the platform.

They stared each other down for a few seconds until Kason spoke. "You won't knock me out in one hit like you did with the others, Choppy," he said.

I covered my face trying to hide my laughter. "Ch-choppy..! Pfft..!" I murmured. Unsurprisingly, Hai didn't say anything back. She stood there and continued to stare at Kason.

Kason scoffed. "You're _that_ confident, huh?" he asked.

"Okay! Are you kids ready?" Mr. Tanner asked. Kason and Hai both nodded. "Good! Ready..? Set..? Go!"

Kason stood still as Mr. Tanner commenced the battle. "You're just gonna chop the platform again, right?" he asked.

Hai took a deep breath and readied her attack.

"Thought so," Kason said.

I leaned forward in my seat. "What is Kason doing? He's just gonna get chopped by Hai like the others did,"

Chris shook his head. "No, I feel like he has some sort of plan. He doesn't seem like the kind of person to go running in blind," he said.

Slowly, Hai raised her hand up and stared into Kason's eyes. Kason smiled and stayed in the same position.

"Come on!" he yelled. An annoyed look appeared on Hai's face as she slammed her hand into the platform. The sound of her hand hitting the ground echoed through the dusty gym.

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" I whispered. A few more seconds passed. Then, suddenly, the entire platform broke up into multiple large pieces. Dust filled the arena, cloaking the battlers.

"That power... I can't see a thing..." someone behind me whispered.

Eventually, the dust cleared. Every bit of the platform was broken up... except for the general area where Kason was standing. Everyone looked on in shock as Kason continued to stand in the exact same position.

He scoffed. "What's wrong? Did you miss your mark, Choppy?" he asked.

Hai stood on a very small piece of the platform, holding her hand and shaking.

Kason smirked at her. "Oh, did that attack hurt your hand? You have been straining it for a while now. Why not take a break?"

"He's manipulating her," Chris said.

I put my hand on my chin. "Yeah, and he's doing it well," I sat there for a few moments, and then I realized something. "Wait, why wasn't he doing this to me during my match?!"

Chris covered his mouth and started laughing. "Maybe because he sees Hai as an actual threat..."

I glared at Chris and put my focus back on the fight. Hai continued to stand on the platform in pain, while Kason continued to annoy her.

Kason shrugged. "Well, I guess your Quirk isn't anything special. Honestly, I'm surprised you made it this far," He then glanced at Hai with a grin, expecting a response.

Silence.

He sighed. "Fine, I guess this won't work on you. I'll just finish this-"

"Shut up," Hai muttered.

Kason took a step back. "Whoa, looks like I finally broke into you," he said.

Hai took a step forward. "You just don't know when to stop talking, do you..?" she asked.

Kason scoffed. "And you don't know when to start," Then, Kason formed an orb in his hand. "But, now that I've got you where I want, this'll be a piece of cake,"

Hai let go of her injured hand and pulled her other hand up to her face. Then, in an instant, her other hand was already down by her hip, like she let off an attack.

Kason began his formation for launching the orb. "Ha! Where'd your attack go-?"

A huge force of wind pressure slammed right into his stomach.

"W-what... the... hell..?" he asked.

It pushed him back, inch by inch. He attempted to push through it, but...

Kason got launched back off of the platform.

 _Thud._

He collided with the wall and fell to the floor, unconscious.

Like almost every match before, everyone sat in silence. Until...

"Yeah! Woo!" Luke yelled from the highest bleacher row.

Chris and I turned around. "I forgot he was here to be completely honest," Chris muttered.

"Yeah, same here," I said.

Mr. Tanner ran over to Kason and did his healing thing. And then he did the same for Hai and her hand. But, Kason remained unconscious, so Mr. Tanner had him sent to the nurse's office.

"Well then, that was an exhilarating match, huh?" Mr. Tanner said. "Now, let's get straight into this final match because we're running out of time for today's class!"

Luke stood up and a huge smile grew on his face. He walked down the bleachers and up to Hai. Extending his hand out to her, he smiled again. "I've been looking forward to this, Hai Ren,"

Hai nodded and she shook his hand.

Mr. Tanner motioned them to the platform. "Alright, let's get this started! Hai Ren VS. The Final Boss, Luke May!"

『No. 5 - END』


	6. The Next No 1 Hero

『No. 6 - The Next No. 1 Hero』

"Alright, let's get this started! Can you two go over to the platform, please?" Mr. Tanner said, pointing to the arena.

Hai and Luke walked to either side and everyone in the bleachers looked on in excitement.

I nudged Chris' shoulder. "Hey, do you know Luke's Quirk?"

"No, I have no idea," he said.

A sudden burst of anxiety and excitement welled up inside me.

'This final boss thing is really hyping up his Quirk, huh? Is it really worth all the hype, though?' I thought.

"Are you two ready to begin?" Mr. Tanner asked.

"Yes! I'm ready!" Luke shouted.

Hai simply nodded in response.

"Okay! It's time for the actual final round! Hai Ren VS. Luke May!" Mr. Tanner said. "Now, since we're running out of time I don't have enough time to insert the countdown so... begin!"

Mr. Tanner's announcement caught Hai off guard, so it took her an extra second to get into her attacking position. That one second she lost at the time... would change the course of this match.

Surprisingly, Luke was prepared. He bent down and placed his palm on the platform. As Hai was about to release her attack, a ball of bright blue aura surrounded Luke's hand. He clenched his fist and dug into the concrete. Then, in an instant, he pulled forward, launching him right in front of Hai in less than a second.

"Huh-?!" Hai blurted out.

Quickly, she released her attack ahead of time. But, Luke's left fist caught her chop mid-attack, creating a shockwave throughout the gym.

"What the hell?!" Lance, the boy with the Thorns Quirk, yelled.

It was like a windmill was pointed right at the bleachers. The gust of wind from the clash had such an intense force that it was hard to stay in our seats.

The power from the clash broke up the platform beneath them, separating it into different large chunks. A few seconds after the clash, Hai used a less powerful chop with her left arm directly into Luke's stomach, launching him back onto a different platform chunk.

"I... I had no idea Luke was this powerful..." I muttered. I suddenly heard footsteps next to me and saw Mr. Tanner walking up the bleachers to our row.

"Yep, that's what I said when I learned about his Quirk for the first time," he said.

"It's amazing," Chris said.

Mr. Tanner nodded. "Mhm, that's why he's one of the top candidates to become the next No. 1 Hero in America,"

Chris and I quickly turned to Mr. Tanner in shock.

"The... No. 1..?" I asked.

Mr. Tanner chuckled. "Why are you so shocked? He definitely has the power for it," Then, he placed his hand on his chin. "But, I wonder... Why did he choose Blackwood of all places..?"

I stared at Mr. Tanner for a few seconds but then quickly turned back to the fight.

Luke was lifting himself up and coughing from Hai's previous attack. "Man, that was one powerful chop..! But, that wasn't even at your full power, right?" he said.

Hai stared at him with a slightly scared expression. It was still my first day, so most of my first impressions for my classmates were just assumptions. I assumed Hai didn't really have much emotion, but in a crisis like this one... she seemed different.

"I hope it isn't too much to ask, but... next time... I want to learn what a full power chop feels like," he said with a grin.

Then, he placed both of his hands on the platform and the blue aura showed up again. Like his previous move, he dug his fingers into the platform concrete and launched his forward, but with twice as much strength. He got up to Hai so fast that she couldn't counterattack. So, she lifted up her left arm in front of her face, expecting a hit with Luke's right arm. Then, without hesitation, he pulled back his right. He flashed a big smile and sent his punch towards Hai.

"San Fransisco... SMASH!" he yelled as he plowed his fist into Hai's arm.

She tried to hold her ground, but Luke's power was too overwhelming. After a few seconds of struggling, she lost her footing and was launched off of the platform onto the ground.

Naturally, Mr. Tanner quickly made his way over to Hai to heal any injuries.

"'San Fransisco Smash'..?" I asked.

Luke stood on the platform triumphantly, turned to everyone in the bleachers, and raised his fist in victory. "This is an announcement for you, fellow classmates! I'm going to become the next No. 1 Hero. I'm going to become the next All Might! So, watch me!" he shouted.

Silence...

"All Might..?! You mean the No. 1 Hero in Japan, right?! The strongest Hero of all time?!" June, the girl with the Finger Cannon Quirk, questioned.

Luke lowered his fist and nodded. "Yeah! He's the greatest Hero there ever was! I want to be just like him!"

"Well, you've definitely got the Quirk for it," said a light blue-haired boy.

"Hmm..." Chris muttered.

I turned to him in curiosity. "What's up?" I asked.

"Well, if he's such a big All Might fanboy then why didn't he go to U.A.?" he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "U.A.?" I questioned.

Chris turned to me with a surprised look. "You don't know what U.A. is?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"It's the best Hero school in Japan and almost the whole world. And it's where All Might attended. How do you not know about it?" Chris said.

"I don't know. I just never heard of it," I responded.

"That's odd," Chris muttered. "Most people have heard about it in some shape or form,"

I shrugged. "I guess I'm not most people, then,"

Mr. Tanner then walked up to the front of the bleachers. "Alright, kids! That was a successful first day of class! It was great to see all of your unique and interesting Quirks and I can't wait to see more of what you can do. Tomorrow, we'll be doing something more simple, but don't rest yet. This is just the beginning of your future career as Heroes! Class dismissed!" he said.

Mr. Tanner and the other students started to flood out of the gym and go off doing their own things. But, Chris and I were the last to leave. We started walking out, but I stopped Chris to ask him a question.

"Chris, do you know where the nurse's office is?" I asked.

He stopped in place and turned to me. "Do you wanna go see Elizabeth?" he questioned.

"Well, yeah. I want to tell her all about what she missed!" I said.

Chris smiled. "Alright, I'll come with you. I know where it is,"

"Whoa, you know where it is already?! We've only been here for one day!" I shouted.

Chris pulled a paper map out of his pocket. "I have a map,"

"Oh," I whispered. "I guess that would help..."

Yeah, it was only my first day. But, I felt like I had already ingrained my spot at Blackwood. I made a few friends and some acquaintances. My parents were always worried that if I did study out-of-state I wouldn't fit in. And honestly, I thought the same. But, somehow I was proving myself wrong in more ways than one. I was right where I wanted to be. But, obviously, stories come with hardships. Life teaches you that you need to get through tough times to reach your goal. At the time, I hadn't succumbed to any intense hardships. But, It was only a matter of time before I was going to learn that this world of Heroes wasn't as safe as people make it out to be.

『No. 6 - END』


	7. Elizabeth's Persistence

**『** No. 7 - Elizabeth's Persistence **』**

The first week of classes passed by surprisingly quickly from what I remember. After the gym tournament, the rest of the week was a lot more mellow in comparison. Stuff like basic hero rules and some talk about hero licenses, but those licenses wouldn't come for a while. Eventually, the week came to a close on Friday afternoon. My plans for the weekend were to study up on some of my classes, even though we didn't have any tests or quizzes coming up. Well, that's what I thought my plans were going to be.

I sat at my desk in the dorm room and Chris was lying on his bed and playing on his phone. It was extremely silent, except for my writing and Chris' occasional phone tapping. It was quite peaceful actually. Until we heard a knock on the door.

I perked my head up at the sound of the knock. "Who is it?" I asked.

"Elizabeth!" she shouted, slightly muffled by the door.

"Come on in," Chris said while still looking at his phone.

Elizabeth swung the door open and turned to me instantly. "Tucker! I had this great idea and I needed to tell you!" she said.

I turned around in my chair. "What's up?"

"You haven't been in San Francisco before now, right?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Alright, I'm gonna show you around the city!" she exclaimed.

"Huh?" I questioned. "But I need to study!"

She giggled. "You don't _need_ to." Quickly, she turned to Chris. "Right, Chris?"

Chris groaned and placed his phone down. "It's only Friday, so you don't really need to just yet. And I was planning on taking a walk sometime this evening anyway," Chris said.

Elizabeth smiled widely and turned to me again. "See? C'mon! I'll give you the best tour ever!" she said.

I sighed. "Fine, but we should really just do it tomorrow-"

Elizabeth cut me off by instantly grabbing me by the arm and running out of the room.

"H-hey!" I shouted. "You know what time it is, right?"

She couldn't hear me. She was too excited about going to the city that everything else was blocked out of her head. Then, as she pulled me outside, she realized her mistake.

"Wait, why is it so dark out?" she asked.

I shook my arm out of her grasp and sighed. "Didn't you walk over here? It's like 7:30 P.M. right now," I mentioned.

Elizabeth scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "Heh, I was too focused on not forgetting my idea... I didn't even pay attention to the time,"

Chris walked outside too after Elizabeth realized her mistake.

"Yeah, it's way too late to go on a tour," Chris said.

Elizabeth pouted and slouched over. "Fine... But I still want to do something... Our curfew isn't until 9:30 P.M.,"

Chris sighed. "Well, I do know this cafe nearby. It's open pretty much all night if you wanna go there," he said.

Elizabeth's head perked up and she ran over to Chris. "Really? Let's go right now!" she exclaimed.

Chris placed his hand over Elizabeth's face and slowly pushed her away. "Fine, I'll show you the way. You coming, Tucker?" he asked.

"Sure, I'm already out here so I might as well," I muttered.

Elizabeth struggled to remove Chris' hand from her face so she could speak. "T-that's the spirit! Let's get going!"

So, we followed Chris to Twilight Cafe. It was about a five-minute walk from Blackwood, so not much happened on the way there. Once we arrived, we ordered some snacks and drinks and talked for about an hour. Nothing of importance was really discussed. Most of the conversation was complaining about classes and small talk; a typical high school conversation. Eventually, we finished up in the cafe and walked outside.

Elizabeth ran out to the sidewalk and stretched her arms. "Man, that tea was exactly what I needed~!" she shouted.

Chris and I soon walked out as well, trying to hide the fact that we're with this shouting girl. After a few seconds, I noticed Elizabeth staring at something.

I quickly turned in the direction she was looking. "Hey, Elizabeth, what are you-?"

As I was questioning Elizabeth, I saw what she was staring at. Kason was walking down the street in the direction of Blackwood, alone.

Chris caught on to what we were doing and noticed him too. "Is that Kason?" he asked.

I squinted my eyes. "I don't know anyone else with red hair-"

"Heeeeyyy! Kason!" Elizabeth shouted while waving and jumping up and down.

Kason instantly turned towards us with a glare, but quickly changed his expression to slightly distressed. Then, he quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction from which he came.

"What's up with him?" Chris asked.

I watched as he walked out of our sight and deeper into the city. "Did you guys feel like something was bothering him?"

They both turned to me and shook their heads. "No, I couldn't really see him from here anyway," Chris said.

"I didn't really notice anything either. Doesn't Kason always have that dark and brooding feel all the time, though?" Elizabeth mentioned.

I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, I guess you're right,"

They didn't notice the look on his face, but I did. I felt like he was asking for help in some way. He looked scared. I had only known everyone for about a week now, but I could tell that this was weird even for Kason.

After the "encounter" with Kason, we walked back to Blackwood. When we arrived, Chris and I headed back to the dorms while Elizabeth went to the library to check out some books.

About thirty minutes passed and Elizabeth was walking through campus back to the dorms with some books in hand. She was walking past one of the entrance gates when a man scanned an ID and opened the gate. The man crossed paths with Elizabeth and she caught a glimpse of his ID. It said "Kason Hawkins". Elizabeth stopped in place and turned to the man, who was starting to walk away.

"U-um, excuse me..!" she stuttered.

The man stopped in place and turned around to face her. "Yes?" he asked.

Elizabeth pointed to the ID. "Do you know Kason..?"

No words were exchanged after Elizabeth's question. The wind picked up slightly and caused a quiet whistling noise. Car horns and motors from the nearby streets filled the silence.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man slouched over and sighed. "Hnngg... Fine..." he muttered. Reluctantly, he raised his arm and placed his hand on his ear. "Six, we gotta begin early. I might've screwed up a bit,"

A muffled static noise came from the man's ear. "Goddammit, Five," a voice called out, "We've gone over the plans millions of times. How could you screw it up?"

He sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry. If you don't start it now the entire plan will be ruined. Just commence the lockdown already,"

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Lockdown..?" she questioned.

The man lowered his arm to reveal an earpiece. Then, he sluggishly took a step forward. "Sorry, kid. You don't mind if my friends and I invite ourselves in, do you?"

 **『** No. 7 - END **』**


	8. The Elite Six

Reluctantly, he raised his arm and placed his hand on his ear. "Six, we gotta begin early. I might've screwed up a bit,"

A muffled static noise came from the man's ear. "Goddammit, Five," a voice called out, "We've gone over the plans millions of times. How could you screw it up?"

He sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry. If you don't start it now the entire plan will be ruined. Just commence the lockdown already,"

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Lockdown..?" she questioned.

The man lowered his arm to reveal an earpiece. Then, he sluggishly took a step forward. "Sorry, kid. You don't mind if my friends and I invite ourselves in, do you?"

『No. 8 - The Elite Six』

Elizabeth took a step back in response. "Wh-wh-what do you mean..?" she stuttered.

Five didn't respond and started walking hastily towards her. Then, he firmly placed his hand on her shoulder.

Elizabeth quickly grabbed his arm and struggled to get him to let go. "H-hey! Don't touch-!"

Her eyes went blank. Her expression, gone. And her body was lifeless.

After a few seconds, Five took his hand off and Elizabeth snapped out of it. She stumbled back and placed her hand on her forehead.

"What... what was I doing..?" she muttered.

"Sorry!" Five blurted out. "I didn't mean to bump into you! That was all my fault!"

Elizabeth shot her head up. "O-oh! Uh... It's fine! Don't worry about it!" Then, she quickly turned around and walked back to the dorms, confused.

Five smirked. "Too easy," he said as he placed his hand on his earpiece. "Alright Six, you can start now. I took care of my little problem,"

"Good," Six said over the earpiece. "I'm in position now. Are One, Three, and Four ready?"

"Yeah, they might be starting already, so you might wanna set up the FF as soon as possible," Five said.

Then, a loud boom could be heard coming from the dorms.

Five turned towards the noise and smiled. "Yep, there they go," he said.

"What about Two?" Six asked.

Five sighed. "Dunno. I haven't heard anything from him," he muttered.

Six groaned. "He never shows up for anything, no matter how important it is! This job is a big deal to the boss. That kid could at least _try_ to help us out..."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. As you said, he is a kid," Five mentioned.

"You're right," Six whispered. "Okay, setting up the ForceField now,"

Suddenly, a huge semi-transparent green box covered the entire Blackwood Academy campus.

Five looked up at the ForceField and smiled. "Nice, how long can you keep that up for?" he asked.

"A-about 30-45 minutes..." Six grunted. "But, 45 might be pushing it a bit,"

"That's more than enough time. Thanks, Six," Five said.

"No problem, just try to make it quick," Six muttered.

-During Elizabeth's Encounter With Five-  
(About 3 minutes ago)

Chris and I were lounging around in our dorm room, waiting for Elizabeth to return with a book for Chris. It had been about 25 minutes since we split up and I was starting to become a bit worried.

I stood up and turned to Chris. "Didn't Elizabeth say she'd be back with your book?" I asked.

Chris nodded.

"I wonder what's taking her so long..." I muttered.

"She's probably got caught up looking at other books in the library," Chris said.

I placed my hand on my chin. "Hmm... maybe..."

We sat in silence for a few seconds before I started walking towards the door.

"I'm still a bit worried. So, I'm gonna go check," I said.

Chris flashed a thumbs up. "Don't be gone too long. Our curfew is in 30 minutes,"

"Got it," I replied as I walked out of the room.

I had a feeling that I was overthinking things, but I still had a bit of worry in me. Surprisingly, my worry had some substance to it. I arrived at the first floor of the boy's dorm building and swung the doors open. As I took my first step outside, my eyes met with a man who I didn't recognize. He was tall, at least over six feet, and he was standing in the courtyard outside the dorm building, waiting. As our eyes met, a huge smile grew on his face and he took a step forward.

"I was wonderin' how long it would take fer someone to walk out here," he said confidently. "Yer the lucky winner, kid,"

My heart skipped a beat. My face turned pale and my hair stood up on end. This guy definitely wasn't part of Blackwood staff, I realized that instantly. But, even so, I couldn't get myself to move. I was telling my body to turn around and get back inside, but I didn't listen to myself. Then, Elizabeth came to my mind. All of the horrible situations about what had happened to her flashed through my brain. With the predicament I was in, I believed all of those fabricated situations.

I clenched my fists and gulped. "Wh-who are you..?" I muttered.

"Well, I can't tell ya my real name, can I? Just call me Three, kid," Three said while cracking his knuckles. "Now, I'm achin' for a fight!"

Three got in a position like he was going to charge straight at me. Again, I wasn't able to move. I just stood there like a statue, shaking and sweating. As Three prepared to launch himself at me, someone intervened.

"Hey!" shouted a voice from behind Three.

Three got out of his position and turned his head towards the voice with a big smile. "More victims?" he asked.

I saw who called out. Honestly, now that I think about it, it was pretty obvious that he would be the one to show up in a crisis like this one. It was Luke May, the kid striving to be the next No. 1 Hero.

"L-Luke?!" I questioned.

"This campus is private property," Luke announced. "I'm assuming you didn't get here through legal ways, huh?"

Three turned his body around to face Luke instead of me. "Looks like this kid's got some balls on em. What are ya gonna do about it? Sorry, but I'm not leavin' till I finish my job," Three said.

Luke popped his neck and pointed at Three. "I won't stand for villains like you who try and invade on our education! My name is Luke May, a student of the Hero Division at Blackwood Academy! And I will protect this school from any problem it may face!" he shouted.

Three busted out laughing. "Yer a riot, kid! You definitely have some charisma!" he said.

"Luke, if you use your Quirk without permission, you'll get in serious trouble!" I shouted.

Luke smirked. "Well, at Blackwood Academy, students in the Hero Division have the right to use their Quirks on campus, but only for self-defense," he explained.

"Wait, really?!" I asked.

Luke nodded.

"Arrggghhh! Stop actin' like I'm not even here!" Three yelled.

Then, he bent down and his upper body seemed to deflate. After the deflation, his legs and right arm buffed up immensely, seemingly putting all the muscles in his body in those specific regions.

"I'm gettin' impatient! Let's get this started!" Three yelled again. In an instant, he blasted in Luke's direction and plowed his fist into where Luke was standing. A huge blast of brick and other debris filled the courtyard.

"Luke!" I screamed.

Before now, I never saw this side of the world. I knew that it wasn't all good, but I never expected it to be this bad. You know how I mentioned that you need to overcome hardships to reach your goals? Well, this was my first big hardship. But, reaching my goal was the last thing on my mind on that day.

『No. 8 - END』


	9. Three

"I'm gettin' impatient! Let's get this started!" Three yelled again. In an instant, he blasted in Luke's direction and plowed his fist into where Luke was standing. A huge blast of brick and other debris filled the courtyard.

"Luke!" I screamed.

『No. 9 - Three』

The dust and debris filled the air in the dorm courtyard. Luke and Three were nowhere to be seen in the dense fog. As for me, I still hadn't moved an inch from the dorm building entrance. My mind was racing. Thoughts like, "Is Luke okay?", "Who is this guy?", or "Are there others here too?" went through my head.

Then, I noticed a green transparent box cover the sky. "What the..? What is happening?" I questioned.

After a few more seconds, the dust cleared. Luke took the hit, but not in the way I expected. I saw Luke holding Three's fist in place with his bright blue hands. A crater formed in the ground where Luke stood, probably from the impact of Three's punch.

"Luke-!" I shouted.

"Heh, yer a strong one, eh?" Three muttered.

"Nnggg!" Luke groaned. "Tucker, get out of here..! This guy's bad news!"

I took a step forward. "B-but, Elizabeth is out on campus somewhere! I need to make sure she's alright!" I yelled.

Luke's expression changed from determination to distress in an instant. "She is..?" he whispered.

Right after Luke's statement, Three launched his leg up and slammed his foot into Luke's chin. "You might be strong, but I ain't losin' to a little kid!" Three shouted.

Luke stumbled back a few feet from the kick and almost lost his balance, but he was able to stay up.

"Luke, are you alright?!" I said.

Luke placed his hand on his chin to cover the spot where Three struck. "I'm... I'm fine! Just go and find Elizabeth!"

I nodded and began to run passed Three and Luke. As I passed Three, he focused his view on me and smiled.

"I'm not lettin' you leave that easily," he muttered. Then, his legs bulked up and he shot straight towards me. "I still have a job to do!" he screamed.

"Shit-!" I blurted out as Three neared closer. I lifted my arm up to block the incoming attack, but Three didn't give me enough time to activate my Quirk. Right before his fist was about to collide with me, Luke appeared in the way of the punch, seemingly out of nowhere. "Luke-!?" I shouted.

The hit plowed into Luke's right shoulder and sent him flying towards the dorm building. Luke was inches away from slamming into the wall until a portal opened and sucked him up.

Three stopped in place and stared at the portal. "What the hell..?" he asked. Not even a second after Three finished his sentence, another portal opened up behind Three and Luke launched out of it at a high speed. So fast, in fact, that Three couldn't even react. Luke pulled back his left fist, activated his Quirk, and took a deep breath.

Luke's fist plowed into Three's face, launching him down the courtyard. Luke, however, didn't have a landing plan, so he fell onto the ground after landing his punch. I gasped and took a step towards Luke. But, he picked himself up and stared at me with a smile. "Go find Elizabeth. We'll take care of this guy," he said. Then, a portal opened up next to him and Chris stepped out.

"Chris..!" I whispered, feeling a bit more relieved.

He instantly turned to me. "I heard the commotion from our room and I had a bad feeling. I'm glad I noticed when I did," he said. "Now go, Elizabeth is somewhere on campus, right?"

"Yeah, thanks. You guys better be careful, alright?" I said.

Luke flashed a thumbs up. "My shoulder stings from that hit, but I'm still in no condition to back down! Don't worry about us, Tucker!" he said, full of charisma.

I nodded and ran away.

"So, Chris, I've got an idea that'll help us against this guy," Luke mentioned.

"I think we've got the same idea," Chris said.

Three slowly rose up, rubbing the place Luke struck. "God, you kids sure are annoyin', y'know? You just keep showin' up outta nowhere..."

"Well, what did you expect from attacking a school that houses heroes in training?" Chris said. Chris' statement seemed pretty obvious, but the way he said it pissed off Three even more.

"Don't mock me, brat! I'll destroy your future in a single punch!" he yelled.

Chris sighed and rubbed his ear. "Jeez, this guy's so loud. Luke, let's shut him up," he said.

Three smiled widely. "You've got a lotta confidence for a kid who's 'bout to die..!" he scoffed.

"And you talk too much," Chris remarked.

"Rrrgghh..." Three groaned in anger.

Luke looked at Chris with a nervous smile. "You're really good at riling people up, huh?" he asked.

"I guess so," Chris said.

Three's legs suddenly bulked up as the rest of his body weakened. "Arrghh!" he screamed. Then, he started running extremely fast towards Chris and Luke.

"You nervous?" Chris asked.

Luke scoffed. "Why are you asking this now? It's a bit too late to back down,"

Chris smiled in response. "Yeah, you're right. Then, let's see what you're made of, Mr. Future No. 1,"

『No. 9 - END』


	10. Crimson Flames

『No. 10 - Crimson Flames』

I ran away from Three thanks to Luke and Chris, who bought me some time. I ran as quick as I could, not looking back. At the time, I was clearly terrified. None of the teachers that had some legit hero or combat training lived on campus, and the only people that had the approval to use their Quirks were us. There was tons of stress piling on. Too much, even. Particularly since I didn't have much sense in combat myself. But my primary goal was finding Elizabeth, and I wouldn't let my doubts get in the way of that. I didn't run too far, but I noticed a person moving in my direction.

I promptly stopped. "W-who's there?!" I shouted. The person also stopped.

Then, a familiar voice came from them. "Tucker...?"

It didn't take me long to recognize who it was. "Elizabeth?" A wave of overwhelming relief washed over me as I ran over to her. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "But what was that loud crash I heard? And what's with this green box around the school?"

"It's villains," I said bluntly.

Elizabeth's anxious eyes widened. "Wha...? Villains...?" she asked.

I nodded. The genuine fear emitting from her body was intense. I noticed her starting to shake and sweat nervously, a typical reaction in a crisis.

She gulped. "Is... is everyone okay?"

"No, not at all, actually. Luke and Chris are back at the dorm courtyard trying to hold off one of the villains," I explained.

Elizabeth reached and clenched her shirt where her heart would be. "'One of'...?" she muttered. Her movements were stiff and heavy. Her breathing was unusual, too. Honestly, I felt the exact same way she did. Terrified. Despite that, I didn't want to make her worry more by acting the same way.

Suddenly, she directed her gaze to me. "If Chris and Luke are back there... then why aren't you with them...? They could use all the help they can get..." she questioned.

"I came to find you,"

"Huh...?"

"Well, I knew you were still out. Then that villain attacked, and I instantly thought of the worst-case scenario. I was worried," I explained. "So, Chris and Luke bought me some time to get out of there to look for you."

Elizabeth stared at me for a few moments, then smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me,"

I smiled back. "Good. But, I do have a question,"

"What is it?" she questioned.

"Did you see any other suspicious people while you were walking through the campus?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, none that I can remember,"

I placed my hand on my chin and began thinking. "Alright, well the villain back there definitely didn't have a Quirk that created a massive green box, so there has to be more than one. And from what I can remember the villain's name was "Three." There's a high chance of there being at least three of them here,"

Elizabeth started shaking again. "This is really bad... What are we going to do...?" she asked.

I sat in silence for a bit, trying to think of something, anything, to get us out of this mess. Anything I came up with had at least some flaws since we didn't know the number of villains or all of their Quirks.

I opened my mouth to speak, then paused for a moment.

"Tucker?" Elizabeth asked.

"I... I don't know," I said. "I don't know what we can do..."

A gloomy silence filled the proximity. Elizabeth and I simultaneously stared at the ground, unable to fathom our current situation.

"...W-well, we shouldn't sit still like this. It's the last thing we should be doing," I said.

Elizabeth nodded.

We began to run back to the dorm buildings to check on Chris and Luke. However, an authoritative voice calling out from behind halted us.

"Hey! What are you kids doing out here so late?" a deep, unrecognizable voice shouted.

I stopped dead in my tracks and gradually turned my head around. There was a person about 25 or 30 steps behind us. "W-who are you?!" I asked nervously.

"Answer my question first, kid. What are you doing out here?" the man said as he got closer.

I completely turned around and took a step forward while Elizabeth took a step back in fear. "It's none of your business," I said. Suddenly, a single red flash seemed to come from inside his body. "What the...?" I questioned.

"Heh... How stupid are you?" the man asked again. But this time, his tone of voice was more... intense.

"What?" I questioned. He flashed red again. "What is that Quirk...?" I muttered. At that moment, I realized that there was a significant chance of this guy attacking me at any moment. I promptly placed my hand on the brick sidewalk and kept it there, waiting.

The man took one more step and then stopped abruptly. "Two charges should be enough to take you down," he said.

"...Charges...? What do you-?"

In the middle of my sentence, he charged at me at a speed faster than the average human. Before I could even react, he made it up to me and kicked me in the stomach, propelling me back.

"Tucker!" Elizabeth shouted.

I skid across the sidewalk and came to a stop. Coughing and clutching my stomach from the pain, I wasn't able to move. It was the first time I suffered a major hit to the stomach like that, and it was definitely more powerful than a normal kick. After a few more seconds of coughing, I slowly lifted myself up.

The man shrugged. "Huh, I thought one hit would be enough to take a weak-ass kid like you down. Guess not,"

I struggled to stay standing, but I knew I had to at least try to stand my ground. "Is... is that all you got...?" I muttered.

The man chuckled. "Sadly, yes. That's all I have for now. But he isn't done..." he said.

"...He...?" I asked.

Elizabeth's eyes focused on something behind me and widened. "T-Tucker! Behind you!" she screamed.

I twisted my head around as fast as I could and saw it. Three. He was standing right behind, looming over me.

'How did he...? But, Chris... and Luke...?' I thought.

Three smiled and aggressively gripped the back of my shirt. He thrusted me up and pulled back his arm.

"Wait-!" I shouted.

Before I knew it, I had been flying through the air towards the main classroom building. "Shit! Cover, cover, cover!" I shouted while covering my entire body in brick. Not even a second later, I crashed through a wall on the second floor.

"You just had to go and steal my thunder, Three," the man said.

Three scoffed. "That kid was my target to begin with, Four. I was just a bit delayed by two other good-for-nothings,"

After a few seconds of silence, both Three and Four shifted their focus on Elizabeth, who was still standing near the two.

Four pointed at her with his thumb. "Let's take care of this one, too,"

Three smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Gotcha,"

"Just don't kill her, alright? The boss advised us to get out of here with no student casualties, just injuries," Four explained.

"Yeah, I remember," Three muttered. He started to walk towards Elizabeth with an enormous smile on his face.

Elizabeth clenched her fists. "How... how could you..."

Three stopped walking and stared at her, confused. Then, Elizabeth let out a blood-curdling scream and her body became engulfed in roaring crimson flames.

"What the hell?!" Four shouted.

From the flames, a voice could be heard. "How could you hurt my friend like that!?" Elizabeth screamed with all of her might.

『No. 10 - End』


	11. The Girl's Fiery Passion

『No. 11 - The Girl's Fiery Passion』

I lied in a rubble-filled classroom. My vision was blurry, but I could distinguish only one thing. A blazing light coming from outside. It was bright red and I felt like I could feel the heat emanating from it, even from the second floor.

I slowly tried lifting myself up, but a sharp pain filled my body. "Agh...!" I groaned and lied again on my back. "...Elizabeth... I can't... do anything..."

The flames surrounding Elizabeth were intense enough for everyone in the area to notice. It was practically like a beacon. The bricks beneath her feet were becoming charred from the intensity. Three and Four started to sweat profusely. Not from nervousness, but just from the amount of heat radiating from Elizabeth's body.

Elizabeth Meadows  
Quirk: _Phoenix_

Well, Four was sweating from both nervousness and the heat.

The two villains stood there like statues until one spoke up. "Th-Three! Do something about this! Punch her or something!" Four shouted.

"No way. That fire's way too hot for me to even consider gettin' close to," Three said.

The fire around Elizabeth started moving towards her back. It crawled over her shoulders and formed to massive flaming wings.

"...Holy shit..." Four muttered. "Well... uh... now that she's not _completely_ covered in the fire..." He turned to Three nervously. "...you can get closer to her, right...?"

Three sighed and transferred all his muscle into his right arm. "Well, now that I've got the opening..." A mischevious smile grew on his face. "How could I turn down another victim?" he growled.

"Another... victim...?" Elizabeth muttered. "Oh, right, Luke and Chris were trying to hold you off, weren't they?"

Three scoffed. "Those kids were all talk. After what I did to them, they'll definitely wanna rethink their career path," he said.

Elizabeth's once brown eyes now resembled the flames she summoned. These crimson red eyes stared into Three's bloodthirsty eyes with scorn and animosity.

"...Can I ask you a question...?" Elizabeth said in a monotone voice.

Three shrugged. "Even if you do, I ain't givin' you an honest answer. What makes you think I'll answer truthfully, kid?" he said.

Elizabeth took a step forward. The ground sizzled below her. "What did you do to my classmates...? My friends...?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll gladly answer that one! They got pummeled into the pavement. It was pretty easy too," Three explained.

Elizabeth's gaze was like a knife cutting into Three's very being. "So, that's how it is, huh?" she whispered.

"This girl is creepin' me out..." Four muttered.

Three directed his gaze at Four for just a moment. "Shut the hell up! If yer not gonna do anything then just stay back an' keep yer mouth shut. I'll take care of this-!"

As Three turned back towards Elizabeth, her flaming wings lifted up as high as they could, ready to be used. Three gulped and started to sprint towards her.

"Now go and join your weak-ass classmates in the rubble!" he screamed.

Elizabeth calmly knelt down and placed her hand on the burning ground; wings still readied. As Three inched closer, Elizabeth looked up and observed him with her crimson eyes once more. This instantly caught him off guard, providing a possible opening. Her wings flapped once with enough raw power to aggressively bend the trees around them. She shot forward from the overwhelming power of the wing flap. A little bit to the right of Three, she was about to inadvertently pass him completely. But, as she was close enough, she grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him with her down the walkway.

"Grrrrgghh!" Three groaned in agony as he was dragged along. Next, Elizabeth came to a complete stop and launched him into the air. Her wings readied again, but faster this time, and flapped to propel her straight up towards Three. Once she got close enough, she outstretched her ruthless hand and the raging flames from her right-wing spiraled around her arm.

"Burn,"

An enormous blast of flames erupted from Elizabeth's hand and engulfed Three.

"AAARRRGGHHHHH!" Three screamed.

Four grimly watched from the ground in disbelief. "What the hell is this...?" Suddenly, he heard footsteps walking up from behind him. He spun around and saw a woman with short orange hair in a ragged cloak.

"Looks like these kids were more capable than the boss thought," the woman said.

"One... you scared me..." Four muttered.

One looked up at Three being engulfed by the flames in the night sky. "Even Marlon couldn't take out that one, huh?" she said harshly.

"H-hey!" Four stuttered. "Boss instructed us not to use each other's real names while we're on an important mission!"

One nodded solemnly. "I apologize,"

"You're really level-headed today..." Four said anxiously.

One bent down and ripped two bricks out of the charred ground. "I can't distinguish a difference," With the two bricks in each of her hands, they started to glow. The one in her left hand turned into bullet-shaped objects and the one in her right hand transformed into an M1911 pistol. She then loaded the brick bullets into the pistol.

Four gulped. "Wh-what are you planning to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" One said as she brandished the gun at the hovering Elizabeth. "I'm going to bring her down to Earth,"

While I was still lying in the rubble, unable to move, the only sound I could make out... was definitely a gunshot.

"E-Elizabeth...?"

『No. 11 - END』


	12. A Taste of Reality

_Now, let's rewind a bit. Back to whenever Chris and Luke gave me the chance to run away from Three..._

『No. 12 - A Taste of Reality』

A few minutes after I made my escape, Chris and Luke were in the heat of battle with Three. Chris was on the sidelines while Luke was up close and trying to attack. Their plan was to use Chris' portals to teleport Luke around Three fast enough to where he wouldn't be able to keep up. It was going well so far. Luke was able to get a few substantial hits in, but not enough to do any noticeable damage. But, at this point, Chris was opening and closing so many different portals that he was starting to exhaust his strength.

Luke shot in and out of the different portals opening up every second. Their pattern was reasonably simple, so Three caught on pretty quickly. That was their downfall.

"You kids sure make a good team..." Three said. "Those two Quirks work well together... but..." During Three's statement, Luke was still shooting around, preparing to attack. A portal appeared directly behind Three and Luke came out of it. But, the instant he came through the portal Three turned around with a huge smile. "...It's too obvious!" he screamed.

"Shit-!" Luke blurted out.

Three outstretched his hand towards Luke and grabbed his fist. "I might seem like it, but I'm not as stupid as you think, brat," Three said. He tightened his grip on Luke's fist, producing an extremely uncomfortable noise of cracking and snapping. Luke grunted in pain and struggled to escape Three's iron grip. The power from his fists gradually faded from the sudden injury.

"Luke!" Chris screamed.

"You're exactly like what I thought. I had a feelin' you were all talk," Three said.

"Let... let go of me..." Luke muttered.

An even bigger smile grew on Three's face. "You ain't done yet?! Hahaha! That's rich, kid!" Three shouted hysterically. Then, he hoisted up Luke by his fist and brought him closer to his face. Three stared into Luke's eyes with the most relentless and insane eyes Luke had ever seen. "I'll make sure you stay battered and bruised in the pavement," Three said.

SLAM!

Three smashed Luke into the ground with his powered up arm, creating dust cloud from the impact. Chris stood still, unable to move.

Three slowly directed his gaze to Chris with a sinister look. "You're vulnerable without your friend here, right?" he asked.

Chris gulped and took a step back.

"Can I take that as a "Yes."?" Three said. His muscles then transferred to his legs and he jumped at Chris. He tried to make a portal, but Three was so fast that he grasped Chris by the shirt before he could. "If you weak-ass kids can't even scratch me then what's the point of even becoming a hero!" Three screamed. Then, he bulked up his arm and launched Chris at a tree. He slammed into the tree at such a tremendous speed that it knocked him out completely.

The two boys that tried their best to protect their school, laid broken and defeated on their own grounds. This was their first and bitter taste of reality.

Three chuckled. "That was kinda fun. But now I gotta find that other brat that ran off..."

『No. 12 - END』


	13. Bring Them Down To Earth

One bent down and ripped two bricks out of the charred ground. "I can't distinguish a difference," With the two bricks in each of her hands, they started to glow. The one in her left hand turned into bullet-shaped objects and the one in her right hand transformed into an M1911 pistol. She then loaded the brick bullets into the pistol.

Four gulped. "Wh-what are you planning to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" One said as she brandished the gun at the hovering Elizabeth. "I'm going to bring her down to Earth,"

While I was still lying in the rubble, unable to move, the only sound I could make out... was definitely a gunshot.

"E-Elizabeth...?"

『No. 13 - Bring Them Down To Earth』

After the gunshot rang out, the sounds I heard next were a light thud and a loud thud. The last thing I saw before the shot went off was Elizabeth with flaming wings launching Three up into the air. So, I instantly assumed the worst.

"Wha- What just happened...?" I muttered while struggling to stand. "I need... to get up...! Elizabeth could be in trouble...!" I managed to muster all of my strength that I had left and get on my feet. Slightly limping, I stumbled over to the hole in the wall I created when I hit the building. What I saw once I looked outside will be ingrained in my mind forever.

An unconscious Elizabeth layed on the path of bricks with a pool of blood surrounding her right leg with an also unconscious and charred Three not too far from her. Also, an orange-haired person was slowly walking over to her with what looked to be a pistol. My head was spinning. In that short time that I was unable to fight, all of this happened. I blamed myself. If only I would've been able to stand my ground and protect her.

"You... bastards..." I whispered. Stiffly, I looked down to the ground outside. Two floors wasn't a huge drop as long as I used my Quirk on my legs. So, I touched the stone inside of the walls and covered my legs and feet with the material. "I'll save you... Elizabeth... I swear..." I muttered.

"Jeez, One... Don't you think that was a bit harsh? What if she bleeds out or something? Boss will be pissed if that happens..." Four muttered. One didn't answer, she just continued walking over to Elizabeth's unconscious body. "I guess you reached your max amount of words in a day, huh...?" Four whispered.

Once One made it over to Elizabeth, she crouched down next to her, set her pistol down, and stared. "This girl's Quirk could be useful for our cause," she said.

Four crossed his arms. "What are you suggesting we do? Take her? Boss didn't say to bring any of these kids back,"

"We won't do anything with her now. Rather, I want to keep an eye on her for a while," said One.

"Well, I'd suggest you keep her alive then. At this rate, she'll bleed out if she stays there with that hole in her leg that you gave her," Four said while walking over to One.

One shut her eyes and nodded. "Yes, you're right," she whispered. Then, she grabbed the ends of her cloak and tore off a massive piece.

"Wa-wait, are you sure you wanna just tear your cloak like that...?" Four stuttered. "Though, it does look a bit cooler with a tear in it..."

One, again, didn't respond. She wrapped the piece of cloak around Elizabeth's wound and tied it up with a nice knot.

Then, she grabbed her pistol and gradually stood up. "We'll leave her here. Someone else will find her," she said. "For now, we should-"

Suddenly, a thud came from the direction of the main school building.

Four took a step back. "What was that...? Is it an enemy...?" he muttered.

One shifted her gaze towards the sudden sound. "Who's there?" she asked calmly.

No answer. All that could be heard were mismatched footsteps nearing closer. It was too dark to make out who or what it was.

"Fine," One said as she aimed her pistol at the figure.

"H-hey! Don't you think we should figure out who it is before you go shooting again?!" Four shouted.

One sighed. "Hesitation only leads to suffering,"

BANG!

The bang of the gunshot was followed by a sound of the bullet ricocheting off of something. Finally, the figure came into the light. If you couldn't tell already, it was me. I had used my Quirk to cover up most of my body to block the bullet. Honestly, I got really lucky that she decided to shoot at one of the parts I covered.

"You?" Four questioned. "But Three and I pummeled you earlier... You should've stayed down from all the damage you took,"

"Shut up," I said.

Four instantly became annoyed. "The hell did you just say-?!"

"Don't," One said as she put out her hand, motioning Four to stop. She stared at me for a few seconds before speaking. "You blocked my bullet like it was nothing. What is your Quirk?" she asked.

"Why would I tell you... after what you did to Elizabeth...?" I muttered.

"Elizabeth?" One asked. She looked over at Elizabeth and made the connection quickly. "Ah, you mean this girl? Don't worry, we don't plan on killing her. That isn't our goal here," she explained.

"Why the hell do you expect me to believe you...?" I said while clenching my fists.

At this point, my emotions were taking over. It's like I couldn't see what was in front of me... like my vision was clouded by hatred.

One gently placed her hand on her chest. "Please, I am not asking for much. If I'm being completely honest, our job here is done. So, I'd greatly appreciate it if you let us leave the premises," One said.

"Let you leave...? Are you kidding me...?!" I questioned loudly. "You came here just to hurt my friends and now you're asking if you can just leave?!"

Four stepped forward. "One, this isn't looking good. I know you like to reason with others, even if they aren't on our side, but you might want to-"

"I understand you are upset with us, but we were just following orders," One explained.

I grit my teeth and looked down at the ground. "...Following... orders...?" Then, I covered my entire right arm and fist with stone. "Do you really expect me to believe that bullshit...?!"

Four took another step forward. "One, seriously..." he whispered.

One sighed. "Very well," she muttered as she aimed her pistol at me once more.

I later regretted it, but I was still staring at the ground. "I can't let you leave after what you've done-!"

BANG!

I watched as the bullet entered my right thy. The sudden influx of pain was immense. My leg was warm, but cold at the same time. I stumbled over and lied on the ground.

"AAAARRGGHHH!" I screamed while clutching my leg.

Four breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, that kid was ready to go crazy on you,"

One stared at me with a cold and dead look. "I tried to reason with you, but you forced my hand," she said in a monotone voice.

Four then clapped his hands together like he was dusting them off. "Alright, now let's patch this kid up too and head out-"

"No,"

"Huh...?" Four questioned.

One took a few steps towards me. "He didn't listen, even after all I did to try and make him understand. He deserves to lay here and reflect upon his actions. Also, I see no use in keeping him alive,"

Four gulped. "B-but, the boss said not to-" he said.

Then, One placed her hand on an earpiece. "Six, take the barrier down. We're done here," One said.

"O-oh, alright!" Six stuttered. I slowly opened my eyes to see the green barrier surrounding the campus gradually vanish.

One turned to Four and pointed at Three. "Four, grab Marlon- I mean... Three,"

"You expect me to carry that hunk of junk? But he's super heavy..." he groaned.

One glared at Four and that was enough to help him make his decision to pick up Three.

While that happened, I tried to crawl closer to them, but only by a few inches. "...Wait..." I whispered.

One turned to me with a disgusted look on her face and turned the other direction without saying anything. The last thing I remember seeing is One walking away towards the gate while Four followed close behind holding Three.

"No... Stop... Please..." I muttered.

Then, everything went black.

『No. 13 - END』


	14. Recovery

_"He didn't listen, even after all I did to try and make him understand."_

 _..._

 _"He deserves to lay here and reflect upon his actions."_

 _..._

 _"I see no use in keeping him alive."_

 _..._

 _"ELIZABETH!"_

I woke in a basic hospital room, hooked up to all kind of equipment. My eyes darted around the room while breathing sporadically. The moisture from the sweat on my face slowly drifted down, cooling me off.

 _"What... happened...?"_

『No. 14 - Recovery』

"You're finally up, huh?"

A voice came from somewhere in the room I was in. I was still disoriented from suddenly waking up, so it took me a few seconds to turn in the direction of the voice. It was Chris. He was sitting in a chair placed next to a large window. As I looked over in his direction, the light from the window blinded me. I raised my arm to cover my vision and noticed an IV connected to it.

"You were out for a while," Chris said.

I stared at him and blinked multiple times in confusion. "How long...?" I asked.

"Well, we were sent here last Friday... And today's Thursday... So, about a week,"

Hearing that was like a knife cutting through me. A week? I was asleep for an entire week? What even happened to make me end up in a hospital bed? Then, I remembered. I remembered everything that happened before waking up here.

"Where's Elizabeth?" I blurted out.

Chris pointed at the wall to the right with his thumb. "She's in the room next to this one," he said.

I gulped. "Is she okay?"

"Right now she's still asleep." Chris shrugged. "I don't know the details either. They really like to keep us in the dark about this kind of stuff. They won't even let us visit her,"

I stared at Chris before slowly looking down. "Still... asleep...?" I whispered.

Silence filled the room after Chris gave me the news. My mind was running wild. Blaming myself for basically everything that happened to her and not thinking rationally. And even blaming myself for what happened to the others. All of their injuries? My fault. At the time, my mind wasn't making any sense and I didn't realize. The flood of guilt filled my conscious.

After staring down for quite some time, I finally looked up and realized something. Chris wasn't sitting in a regular chair. He was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Ch-Chris...?" I stuttered.

"Yeah?" he questioned.

I shakily raised my arm and pointed at the wheelchair. "Why are you... in a wheelchair...?" I asked.

"Oh, right. I had a few broken ribs. I was told not to walk around to help them heal faster so they gave me this wheelchair. Honestly, it's a lot more convenient than using my legs to walk around. Oh, but my legs are fine, though," he explained.

I stared at him while he went on, partly listening. My mind, already filled with self-deprecating thoughts, was becoming more flooded with the same thing.

He noticed me staring worriedly at him and he smiled. "Ah, but don't blame yourself for any of this," he said.

That brought me back to reality. "Huh?" I questioned.

"I said don't blame yourself. That's what you're doing, right?"

"N-no I wasn't-"

Then, Chris rolled over to the side of my bed. "Listen, nothing that happened last week was your fault. No one expected those guys to show up and attack us like that. There's absolutely no reason you should be blaming yourself." he said sternly.

I nodded and slowly moved my eyes in the direction of the wall between my room and Elizabeth's.

Chris looked in the same direction and sighed. "She won't blame you either,"

"I know she won't. I just..." I muttered.

"Can't help but blame yourself, right?"

I nodded again.

My nod was followed by another few moments of silence before Chris rolled away from my bed.

"I should probably tell the doctor that you woke up. Make sure to get some more rest, alright?" said Chris.

"Yeah, I will," I replied, still staring at the wall.

As Chris rolled towards the door he turned back to me one more time. "Don't worry too much. If you woke up then there's no doubt she'll wake up soon. Just be patient," he said. Opening the door, Chris wheeled his way out of the room. Then, I was left alone with my thoughts.

"I know I shouldn't blame myself, but..." I muttered. "I couldn't protect her. If anything, she's the one who protected me... I have to make up for it somehow..."

At around the same time I woke up, there were files sent to all the local heroes about the four kids from Blackwood Academy that were harmed in the incident. Since we were students at a hero school, they were given descriptions of us, including our Quirks. And of all the heroes that were sent information, one became interested in one of the four students. The hero took interest in me.

 _Meanwhile, at a local hero agency..._

"Excuse me, Mr. Obsidian Mind?" asked a hero agency worker. "Where are you headed off to at this hour? You don't have any appointments or scheduled patrols,"

A tall slender man stood at the entryway to a certain hero agency. His attire consisted of a skintight matte black suit with armor plating all over his body that was an even darker black. He also had a slick black helmet with a visor in the shape of a V.

He turned around to face the attendant standing at the front desk. "Oh, uhh... Yeah, I know..." he stuttered as he scratched his helmet. "I'm just... uhh... visiting someone in the hospital,"

The attendant raised her hand to her mouth and gasped quietly. "Oh no...! Is it serious?" she asked.

"Uh, no... Um... it isn't too serious..." he continued to stutter.

She lowered her hand and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Well, have a safe trip Mr. Obsidian Mind!" she said.

The man nodded and walked out the front door. "Whew... That was a close one..." he whispered. "Okay, time to meet this Tucker kid..."

『No. 14 - END』


	15. Obsidian Mind

『No. 15 - Obsidian Mind』

"You've only been there for one week and you've already been hospitalized! I don't care if they're paying for your bills, I can tell that school isn't safe! I know it's your dream school, but there are much better options!" my mom screamed over the phone.

At the time of this conversation, I was still in the hospital. I had just woken up and was greeted with the talk that I feared the most.

"I'm the one who went and got injured! The school had nothing to do with it!" I yelled back, sitting up in my hospital bed.

"How did the villains get in anyway? Isn't the school to blame for that?" she said.

"But-"

"Tucker, I love you," she whispered. "But you need to consider your own safety before you consider anything else. I'm sorry, but I'm going to talk to your dad about you coming home,"

I clenched my fist and kept silent. Somehow, throughout that whole encounter last week, I never even once considered my parent's feelings. It was inconsiderate of me, but I still did it unintentionally... and I made them hurt because of it.

My mom sighed. "Well, get better soon. I'm sorry about this, but-"

"Just give me one more chance!" I yelled. "I'll get stronger so you won't have to worry about me again! I'll make sure that I never get hurt like this from now on! Just please give me another shot!"

I didn't get a response instantly. My mom was quiet. It was obvious that she was deep in thought after what I just yelled. But, she eventually spoke.

"You obviously seem passionate about attending this school... I don't really see why, but..." she muttered. "If you're serious about this, I'll give you one more chance. But, if you get hurt again in any way, you're coming straight back home,"

A wave of relief washed over me as I heard those words. I convinced her to let me stay, but from that point on I'd have to stay completely safe, no matter what happened.

My face lit up and I smiled. "Thank you, mom! I won't get a single scratch, I promise!"

"You better not... Well, I have to get going. I love you, get well soon," she said.

"I love you, too,"

A beep came from the phone as my mom hung up. I sat in my bed with a smile on my face, but worry slowly forming inside me. I had just made a promise that I had to keep if I wanted to stay at Blackwood. I'd need to get stronger for the sake of my future.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"There's someone here to see you," said the person behind the door. I recognized the voice as my doctor almost instantly.

"Someone here to see me...?" I whispered.

The door slowly opened and a tall black figure stood in the doorway. They wore a black skin-tight suit and helmet.

"Uh, do I know you?" I asked.

The figure walked forward closer to my bed and raised one of its hands up to its head. They pointed out two of their fingers and placed them on a button placed on the side of their head. Then, the helmet they had on retracted back and opened up, piece by piece. While this was happening, I expected some really cool looking person behind the mask. But, it was just some regular guy with short brown hair.

He waved with the hand he had already raised. "Hey there, kid! You're Tucker, right?" he said.

To make sure I was a safe distance away from this random guy, I scooted over a bit in my bed before slowly raising my hand and waving back. "Yea...? Who are you?"

"I'm Obsidian Mind! I work as a hero around here," he said.

 _'A hero? Why would he come to see me if I don't even know him?'_ I thought.

Obsidian Mind scratched the back of his head. "Well, uh... You're just kinda staring at me and honestly, it's scaring me... You're not even gonna question why am I here visiting you in the hospital when I've never even met you?"

After he said that, I just stared at him even more before actually saying something. "Is your Quirk reading minds?" I asked.

His face instantly changed to one of utter confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nevermind. But, why _are_ you here?"

He smiled and pointed at me. "I came to ask about you and that Quirk of yours," he said.

"My Quirk?"

"Yeah, turns out your Quirk and mine are pretty similar,"

"What do you mean?"

Obsidian Mind reached into a pocket hidden on his suit and pulled out a shiny object. He knelt down next to my bed and reached out to me with the object in his hand. "Here, hold this," he said.

Before following up on his offer, I got a closer look at the object in his hand. It was a piece of diamond. I instantly jumped back in my bed and stared directly at the diamond.

"T-T-that's-" I stuttered.

"A diamond, yeah," he stated with a slight smile. "Take it,"

I stuck out both of my hands in front of me. "I can't take something like that! Do you realize how much that costs?!"

Obsidian Mind sighed. "Listen, kid, I'm not giving it to you to keep. I'm letting you borrow it so you can use your Quirk,"

My eyes widened. He was about to give me one of the hardest materials known to man so I could use my Quirk. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so there was no way I would pass it up.

I slowly opened and reached out my hand. "Okay," I said.

He smiled and placed the diamond piece on my palm. "That's what I like to hear,"

The diamond piece sat directly in the center of my palm. I stared at it for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and forming a fist around the piece. Then, I did what I normally did when I use my Quirk. I closed my eyes and focused on the part of my body I wanted to cover, my right arm... and...

A few seconds of silence passed. It felt like I was in my own little world since Obsidian Mind wasn't saying anything or making any noise. But, the silence got cut off moments later by the man himself.

"Whoa!" Obsidian Mind shouted.

The sudden shout caused me to open my eyes in shock. Once I did open my eyes, I squinted at the immense light coming from my arm. The light from the sun and lights in the room were all reflecting off my arm. It was reflecting off of the raw diamond covering my arm.

"I had a feeling you had great potential," said Obsidian Mind. "How would you feel about coming by my agency after you're released from the hospital?" he asked.

"Huh?" I questioned while staring at him.

He lifted himself up and flashed a big smile. "I'm gonna teach you the ropes, Tucker!"

『No. 15 - END』


End file.
